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Frinceton,  N.  J- 


^  -vj^»  3<g=^-;  c.<s^=>3  ?'^^3e<^?5>ee<Sj3^  •«• 

I'         ^V^s<^    Division. .V. (1. 


^.         Shelf*  Section ^,, 

V        Book,  ..  f^ 


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♦V\.< 


AMERICAN 


MISSIONARY    MEMORIAL. 


INCLUDING 


liiigrn|ijjiral  aii^  IMstarinil  Iketrjiesi. 


EDITED    BY 


H.   W.   PIERSON,  A.M. 


WITH     NUMEROUS     ILLUSTRATIONS. 


NEW    YORK  : 

HARPER    &    BROTHERS,    PUBLISHERS, 
329    &    331    PEARL    STREET, 

FRANKMN     SQUARE. 

1853. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  fifty -two,  by 

Harpkr  &  Brothers, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Southern  District 
of  New  y  irU. 


CONTENTS. 


Page 
INTRODUCTION ii 

ORIGIN  OF  AMERICAN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS. 

By  Rev.  S.  M.  Worcester,  D.D 1 

ORDINATION  OF  THE  FIRST  AMERICAN  FOREIGN  MISSIONARIES. 

By  Rev.  Asa  D.  Smith,  D.D 29 

REV.  GORDON  HALL.  By  Rev.  Bennet  Tylek,  D.D 41 

REV.  JAMES  RICHARDS.  By  Rev.  Benjamin  C.  Meigs 55 

MRS.  HARRIET  NEWELL.  By  Rev.  Aaron  AVarner 75 

REV.  ADONIRAM  JUDSON,  D.D.         ] 

MRS.  ANN  HASSELTINE  JUDSON.    |-  B  y  Re  v.  S.  S.  Cutting 93 

MRS.  SARAH  BOARDMAN  JUDSON.  J 

REV.  GROVER  S.  COMSTOCK.  By  Rev.  Pharcellus  Church,  D.D 149 

MRS.  SARAH  D.  COMSTOCK.  By  Rev.  S.  F.  Smith 163 

MRS.  HARRIET  L.  WINSLOW.  By  Rev.  William  A.  Hallock,  D.D 185 

REV.  JAMES  McEWEN.  By  Rev.  John  Burtt 211 

MJRS.  CATHERINE  H.  SCUDDER.  By  Rev.  M.  S.  Hutton,  D.D 231 

REV.  PLINY  FISK.  By  Rev.  Alvan  Bond,  D.D 245 

RPV.  LEVI  PARSONS.  By  Rev.  Miles  P.  Squier,  D.D 263 

MRS.  SARAH  L.  SMITH.  By  Rev.  E.  W.  Hooker,  D.D 279 

REV.  DANIEL  TEMPLE.  By  Rev.  William  Goodell 299 

R*;V.  AZARIAH  SMITH,  M.D.  By  Rev.  George  Duffield,  Jr 315 

REV.  DAVID  ABEEL,  D.D.  B  y  Re  v.  T.  E.  Vermilte,  D.D 329 

REV.  FREDERICK  B.  THOMSON  By  Rev.  A.  V.  Wyckoff 345 

REV.  SAMUEL  MUNSON,  and  ) 

>  By  Rev.  G.  B.  Chee ver,  D.D 365 

REV.  HENRY  LYMAN.  5 

REV.  WALTER  M.  LOWRIE.  By  Rev.  R.  W.  Dickinson,  D.D 397 

MfS.  JANE  ISABEL  WHITE.  By  Rev.  M.  J.  Hickok 417 

R JV.  MELVILLE  B.  COX.  By  Rev.  W.  P.  Strickland,  D.D 431 

REV.  LAUNCELOT  B.  MINOR.  By  Rev.  C.  M.  Butler,  D.D 449 

REV.  WILLIAM  B.  WILLIAMS.  By  Rev.  George  Peck,  D.D 463 

REV.  G.  W.  SIMPSON,  and  ) 

>  By  Rev.  James  M.  Macdonald 473 

MRS.  ELIZA  P.  SIMPSON.    J 


^/pElltCBWy      X 


ILLUSTRATIONS, 

ENGRAVED  BY  LOSSING  AND  BARRITT,  FROM  ORIGINAL  DRAWINGS 


Drawn  by 

1.  Closing  Scene  in  the  Life  of  Gordon  Hall Wallin  . 

2.  Portrait  of  Harriet  Newell Wallin  . 

3.  Portrait  of  Mr.  Judson Wallin  . 

4.  Portrait  of  Mrs.  Ann  H.  Judson Walli?i,  . 

5.  Mrs.  Judson's  Visit,  with  her  Infant,  to  her  Hus- 

band in  Prison Doepler  . 

6.  Baptism  of  Karens Doepler  . 

7.  Portrait  of  Mr.  Comstock Wallin  . 

8.  Portrait  of  Mrs.  Comstock Wallin  . 

9.  Portrait  of  Mrs.  Winslow Walli?i  . 

10.  Portrait  of  Mr.  McEwen Wallin  . 

1 1.  Portrait  of  Mrs.  Scudder. Wallin  . 

12.  Teaching  the  Heathen  through  an  Interpreter  .  .  Doepler 

1 3.  Portrait  of  Pliny  Fisk Wallin  . 

14.  Portrait  of  Levi  Parsons Wallin  . 

15.  The  Jordan Wells .  .  . 

1 6.  Portrait  of  Mrs.  Smith Wallin  . 

17.  Gethsemane Wells .  .  . 

18.  Portrait  of  Mr.  Temple Wallin  . 

1 9.  Portrait  of  Azariah  Smith Wallin  . 

20.  Portrait  of  David  Abeel Wallin  . 

21.  Portrait  of  F.  B.  Thomson Wallin  . 

22  Mission  Station,  Karangan,  Borneo Wells.  .  . 


40 

74 

94 

102 

121 
135 

148 
162 
184 
210 
230 
241 
244 
262 
271 
278 
287 
298 
314 
328 
344 
352 


Vi  1 LLVSTRATIONS. 

Drawn  by  Page 

23.  Portrait  of  Henry  Lyman ...  Wallin  .  .  364 

24.  Portrait  of  Walter  M.  Lowrie Wallin  .  .  396 

25.  Portrait  of  Mrs.  White   Walli?i  .  .  416 

26.  Portrait  of  Melville  B.  Cox Wallin  .  .  430 

27.  African  Camp-meeting Oertel  .  .  .  443 

28.  Portrait  of  L.  B.  Minor Wallin  .  .  448 

29.  Mission  Station,  Mount  Vaughan,  Cape  Palmas 453 

30  Portrait  of  William  B.  Williams Wallin  .  .  462 

31  Portrait  of  G.  W.  Simpson Wallin  .  .  472 

32  Portrait  of  Mrs.  Simpson Wallin  .  .  478 

33  Boat-race Oertel  ...  49b 


FAC    SIMILES. 


Page 

1.  From  Constitution  of  first  Missionary  Society  in  Williams 

College,  in  Cipher 17 

2.  From  Letter  of  Gordon  Hall 41 

3    From  Journal  of  Mrs.  Newell 75 

4.  From  Karen  Tract  of  Mr.  Judson 95 

5.  From  Letter  of  Mrs.  Ann  H.  Judson 103 

6.  From  Letter  of  Mrs.  Sarah  B.  Judson 127 

7.  From  Letter  of  Mr.  Corastock 149 

8.  From  Letter  of  Mrs.  Comstock 163 

9.  From  Letter  of  Mrs.  Winslow 185 

10.  From  Letter  of  Mr.  McEwen 211 

1 1 .  From  Letter  of  Mrs.  Scudder 231 

12.  From  Letter  of  Mr.  Fisk 245 

13.  From  Letter  of  Mr.  Parsons 263 

1 4.  From  Letter  of  Mrs.  Smith 279 

15.  From  Letter  of  Mr.  Temple 299 

16.  From  Letter  of  Dr.  Smith 315 

17.  From  Letter  of  Mr.  Abeel 329 

18.  From  Letter  of  Mr.  Thomson 345 

19.  From  Letter  of  Mr.  Lyman 365 

20.  From  Letter  of  Mr.  Munson 367 

21 .  From  Letter  of  Mr.  Lowrie 397 

22.  From  Journal  of  Mr.  Cox 431 

23.  From  Letter  of  Mr.  Minor 449 

24.  From  Letter  of  Mr.  Williams 463 

25.  From  Letter  of  Mrs.  Simpson 480 


INTRODUCTION. 


Detained  by  m  health  from  the  G-aboon  Mission,  West 
Africa,  to  which  I  was  appointed,  and  unable  to  engage  in  the 
work  of  the  ministry,  I  have  thought  that  I  might  perform  an 
acceptable  and  useful  service  in  the  cause  of  missions  by  col- 
lecting the  materials  for  the  volume  which  is  now  offered  to  the 
public.  If  I  were  permitted  to  indulge  in  a  poet's  license,  I 
could  adopt  the  language  of  another,  and  say  of  this  work,  "I 
have  gathered  a  nosegay  of  culled  flowers,  and  brought  noth- 
ing of  my  own  but  the  thread  that  ties  them."  But,  though 
humble  and  laborious,  this  has  been  a  most  delightful  work. 
It  has  been  delightful  to  go  back  and  trace  in  detail  the  his- 
tory of  those  plans  and  movements  which  have  since  resulted 
so  gloriously  to  the  cause  of  Christ.  In  the  earlier  efforts  in 
connection  with  the  work  of  foreign  missions  in  this  country, 
there  was  an  ardent  faith,  a  self-forgetting,  self-consuming  zeal, 
that  were  truly  heroic  and  sublime.  It  has  been  refreshing  to 
go  back  and  live  over  again  those  eventful  scenes. 

In  tracing  the  history  of  the  missions  of  the  different  denom- 
inations, it  has  been  delightful  to  mark  the  oneness  of  the  peo- 
ple of  Grod  of  every  name,  as  illustrated  in  their  spirit  and  la- 
bors for  the  conversion  of  the  world.  In  coming  to  a  decision 
to  devote  themselves  to  the  work  of  missions  amonof  the  hea- 


INTRODUCTION. 


then,  there  has  usually  been  the  same  struggle.  At  first  there 
has  been  an  earnest  panting  for  a  higher  consecration ;  then 
an  abasing,  overwhelming  view  of  their  deep  depravity  and 
wretched  helplessness ;  followed  by  such  joy-imparting,  soul- 
subduing  views  of  the  fullness  and  freeness  of  the  pardoning 
power  and  love  of  Christ,  that  the  soul  has  exulted  to  make 
any  sacrifice,  to  endure  any  toil  for  the  honor  of  such  a  Savior. 
And  having  entered  upon  the  missionary  work,  to  which,  in 
such  a  spirit,  they  had  devoted  themselves,  the  same  oneness 
characterizes  them  in  all  the  labors  of  their  life,  and  in  the 
hour  of  death.  The  last  moments  of  Abeel,  Comstock,  Cox, 
Minor,  and  others,  dying  in  different  parts  of  the  world,  and 
representing  different  denominations  of  Christians,  are  marked 
by  the  same  devotion  to  their  work,  the  same  entire  renuncia- 
tion of  self,  the  same  confident  trust  in  Christ.  Verily,  there 
is  but  one  Calvary,  and 

"  One  family  we  dwell  on  earth." 
During  the  seventeen  months  in  which  I  have  been  engaged 
apon  this  work,  I  have  been  obliged  to  correspond  very  extens- 
ively with  the  friends  of  missionaries,  clergymen  and  others, 
in  order  to  procure  the  portraits,  fac  similes,  illustrations,  and 
sketches  that  compose  the  volume.  Nothing  but  actual  expe- 
rience could  give  an  adequate  idea  of  the  extent  and  difficulty 
of  this  labor.  I  will  give  an  illustration.  I  wished  to  procure 
the  portrait,  autograph,  etc.,  of  one  of  the  most  honored  men 
connected  with  the  origin  and  organization  of  the  American 
Board.  I  applied  to  the  distinguished  author  of  his  Memoir, 
but  without  success.  I  then  wrote  to  the  friend  and  associate 
who  was  with  him  when  he  died  at  sea,  but  he  was  not  able 
to  furnish  what  I  desired.     I  then,  by  referring  to  the  minutes 


INTRODUCTION. 


X] 

of  the  Greneral  Association  of  the  state  in  which  he  was  born, 
learned  the  name  of  the  clergyman  of  his  native  town,  to  whom 
I  next  wrote.  He  kindly  replied  to  my  note,  informing  me 
that  the  male  branch  of  the  family  was  extinct,  but  gave  me 
the  address  of  other  relatives,  to  whom  I  wrote,  and  from  whom 
I  learned  that  there  was  no  portrait  in  existence,  and  that  the 
letters  and  manuscripts  in  question  were  in  the  hands  of  rela- 
tives, now  missionaries  in  the  Sandwich  Islands.  Time  would 
not  allow  me  to  prosecute  the  matter  further. 

One  of  the  portraits  in  the  volume  is  from  a  copper-plate  en- 
graved nearly  thirty  years  ago,  now  in  my  possession,  which 
had  carelessly  been  sold  as  old  copper  for  twenty-five  cents. 

In  connection  with  this  work  I  have  received  nearly  two 
hundred  letters,  and  written  a  greater  number.  This  corre- 
spondence has  been,  to  a  large  extent,  with  strangers,  scattered 
widely  over  the  country,  and  connected  with  different  religious 
denominations.  I  would  here  express  my  grateful  thanks,  not 
only  for  the  kind  consideration  that  my  communications  have 
uniformly  received,  but  for  the  words  of  approval  and  encour- 
agement that  have  so  often  and  so  freely  been  extended  to  me. 
My  thanks  are  also  eminently  due  to  the  distinguished  clergy- 
men, the  authors  of  these  sketches,  to  whose  accomplished  pens 
the  work  is  so  largely  indebted  for  whatever  of  interest  and 
value  it  may  possess.  They  have  been  written  in  the  midst 
of  numerous  and  pressing  engagements  ;  and  as,  to  a  large  ex- 
tent, they  are  portraitures  of  intimate  personal  friends,  they 
have  been  written  con  amore.  I  can  not  doubt  either  the  use- 
fulness or  the  public  estimate  of  these  labors  of  love. 

I  am  also  happy  to  acknowledge  my  indebtedness  to  the  sec- 
retaries and  officers  of  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners 


••  INTRODUCTION. 

for  Foreign  Missions,  the  American  Baptist  Missionary  Union, 
the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  the  Missionary 
Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  the  Board  of 
Missions  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  for  their  kind  ad- 
vice and  co-operation.  To  them,  and  to  all  who  have  in  any 
manner  contributed  to  aid  me  in  these  most  congenial  and  de- 
lightful labors,  I  cheerfully  offer  my  heartiest  thanks. 

I  had  hoped  to  include  in  this  work  biographical  sketches  of 
several  other  missionaries,  but  have  been  disappointed  in  the 
arrangements  I  had  made.  This  disappointment  is  the  more 
regretted,  as,  on  this  account,  I  am  unable  to  give  memorials 
of  those  representing  different  missionary  Boards  as  fully  as  I 
had  designed.  In  procuring  the  portraits  in  this  volume,  no 
efforts  have  been  spared  to  obtain  those  which  were  authentic. 
By  personal  visits  or  by  correspondence,  I  have  (with  a  single 
exception,  where  this  was  impracticable)  obtained  copies  of 
those  which  the  relatives  or  immediate  friends  of  the  mission- 
aries have  regarded  as  the  best  in  existence.  I  am  greatly  in- 
debted to  these  friends  for  their  kindness  in  allowing  me  to 
take  copies  of  these  portraits  and  daguerreotypes  ;  and  while 
I  offer  them  my  own  thanks,  I  feel  assured  that  the  numerous 
friends  of  missions,  to  whom  the  names  of  these  devoted  mis- 
sionaries are  as  "  ointment  poured  forth,"  will  also  be  grateful 
that  they  are  thus  allowed  to  look  upon  the  lineaments  of  those 
whose  names  have  been  among  their  most  cherished  house- 
hold words. 

A  work  like  the  one  that  is  now  offered  to  the  Christian 
public  has  seemed  to  me  eminently  desirable.  Our  national 
love  for  the  name  of  Washington  has  caused  the  publication  of 
a  fac  simile  of  his  entire  accounts  durini?  the  war  of  the  Rev- 


INTRODUCTION.  ^jjj 

olution,  and  the  patriot  regards  the  volume  with  a  just  and  hon- 
orable pride.  If  love  of  country  and  of  the  name  of  Washing- 
ton invests  with  such  interest  a  fac  simile  of  such  records  as 
the  price  of  horses,  equipments,  food,  etc.,  will  not  the  love  of 
missions,  and  of  the  memory  of  those  good  men  and  women 
who  have  given  their  lives  to  this  work,  invest  with  a  deeper 
interest  fac  similes  of  passages  containing  some  of  the  loftiest 
sentiments  of  their  consecrated  hearts  ? 

If  the  portraits  of  patriots,  statesmen,  warriors,  and  others 
are  preserved  and  contemplated  with  such  care  and  interest, 
should  not  the  Christian  Church  preserve  and  cherish  as  a  most 
precious  legacy  the  form  and  lineaments  of  those  who  in  the 
work  of  missions  "  have  hazarded  their  lives  for  the  name  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  ?" 

If  scenes  of  patriotic  and  classic  interest  are  emblazoned  by 
the  artist's  skill,  are  not  scenes  and  incidents  in  the  domain  of 
missions — of  higher  bearing  and  more  enduring  interest — en- 
titled to  a  like  memorial  ?  In  a  word,  should  not  the  arts, 
with  all  their  acknowledged  power,  be  made  to  subserve  the 
cause  of  missions  ?  To  accomplish,  in  some  measure,  this  re- 
sult, has  been  one  object  of  this  "  Memorial." 

The  call  is  imperious  upon  every  follower  of  Christ  to  do  all 
in  his  power  to  promote  the  work  of  missions.  Although  a 
great  work  has  already  been  accomplished — so  great  as  to  con- 
stitute it  the  crowning  glory  of  the  present  century — yet  a 
greater  work  remains  to  be  done.  It  is  a  melancholy  fact  that, 
though  eighteen  hundred  years  have  rolled  away  since  the  com- 
mand was  given  to  "  preach  the  Grospel  to  every  creature,"  so 
large  a  portion  of  the  world  is  still  under  the  profound  and  aw- 
ful reign  of  heathenism.     What  though  the  earth  was  rent, 


^■^y  INTRODUCTION. 

and  the  heavens  vailed,  when  the  Son  of  G-od  bowed  his  head 
on  Calvary  I  To  this  day  millions  are  ignorant  of  those  scenes, 
and  of  their  interest  in  them.  During  all  the  intervening  cen- 
turies, these  vast  multitudes  have  not  known  that  that  was 
the  day  of  their  redemption — that,  in  all  their  wretchedness  and 
beggary,  they  were  heirs  to  wealth  above  the  wealth  of  king- 
doms. 

Poor  heathen!  As  yet  they  are  unawakened,  and  uncon- 
scious of  their  birth-right.  To  them  time  is  cheerless  and  eter- 
nity hopeless.  Overwhelming  as  this  thought  is,  it  can  not  be 
denied.  "  Other  foundation  hath  no  man  laid  than  that  is  laid, 
which  is  Jesus  Christ."  "  Without  faith  it  is  impossible  to 
please  him."  "  Faith  cometh  by  hearing',  and  hearing  by  the 
tfwrd  of  God."  These  and  similar  passages  seem  conclusive. 
After  the  most  diligent  search,  I  can  not  find  that  the  Bible  af- 
fords one  ray  of  hope  for  adult  heathen  who  die  without  a 
knowledge  of  Christ.  The  pall  of  darkness  that  envelops  them 
is  the  pall  of  eternal  death,  and  under  its  gloomy  folds  these 
millions  must  continue  to  sink  to  their  changeless  doom,  as  for 
centuries  they  have  sunk,  until  we  who  have  the  Grospel  go  to 
their  relief.  Such  is  the  Divine  arrangement.  Such  was  the 
work  committed  to  the  Christian  Church  by  her  ascending 
Lord.  To  her  is  committed,  in  trust,  this  only  Divine  provi- 
sion for  the  "healing  of  the  nations."  She  alone  can  dispense 
it.  Angels,  the  redeemed,  and  all  the  holy  in  heaven,  are  de- 
barred from  this  work.  They  must  wait  the  slow  movements 
of  the  Christian  Church  for  occasions  of  "joy  in  the  presence 
of  the  angels  of  God"  on  account  of  repenting  heathen  ;  and 
also  for  that  grander  chorus,  when  the  head  stone  shall  be 
brought  forth  with  shoutings,  Grace — grace  unto  it  I 


INTRODUCTION. 


XV 


To  labor  for  such  a  consummation  is  not  less  a  duty  than  a 
priceless  privilege.  Grrateful  to  Grod  for  strength  and  ability  to 
complete  this  work,  it  is  most  cordially  dedicated 

TO   THE   FRIENDS   OF  MISSIONS, 

with  the  humble  and  earnest  prayer  that  it  may  contribute  to 
hasten  the  day  when  the  "kingdom,  and  the  dominion,  and  the 
greatness  of  the  kingdom  under  the  whole  heaven  shall  be  giv- 
en to  the  people  of  the  saints  of  the  most  high  G-od." 

H,   W.   PlERSON. 
Nf.w  York,  November,  1852. 


T.O'^ 


..OGI^^'^^ 


.^.<^S^^' 


AMERICAN 
MISSIONARY     MEMORIAL. 

ORIGIN  OF  AMERICAN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS. 

BY    REV.   S.   M.  WORCESTER,   D.D., 
Salem,  Mass. 

f  T  HATEVER  reason  may  be  assigned,  the  history  of  the 
Church  and  of  our  country  has  been  too  little  known  among 
us,  or  too  little  regarded.  This  remark  applies  to  some  whose 
reputation  for  general  intelligence  should  denote  "a  perfect 
understanding  of  all  things  from  the  very  first."  We  may 
thus  explain  the  very  illusive  views  and  erroneous  opinions  of 
many,  as  it  respects  the  introduction  of  the  missionary  ele- 
ment into  the  spirit  and  character  of  our  institutions  and  our 
times. 

Some  appear  to  be  well  satisfied  by  doing  honor  to  a  few 
more  recent  names.  Others  may  find  it  sufficiently  agreeable 
to  exult  in  the  advanced  position  which  it  is  our  privilege  io 
have  reached.  It  is  not  very  strange,  perhaps,  since,  as  com- 
pared with  the  early  part  of  the  present  century,  the  objects 
and  anticipations  of  Christian  philanthropy  have  so  entirely 
changed  the  prevailing  habits  of  thought  and  modes  of  expres- 
sion.    The  minds  of  the  people  are  not  now  absorbed  in  watch- 

A 


2  ORIGiy   OF  AMERICAN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS. 

ing  the  progress  of  the  Revolution  in  France  ;  nor  is  the  word 
"march"  applied,  with  a  tlirill  of  military  sensation,  to  every 
political  and  moral  movement.  At  the  present  day,  the  lan- 
guage of  literature  and  popular  eloquence  has  not  a  more  fa- 
vorite or  acceptable  term  than  the  word  Mission. 

This  is  a  truly  auspicious  token  of  progress  in  the  right  di- 
rection, and  is  of  itself  a  volume  in  proof  of  such  progress.  But 
there  were  "days  of  old,"  which  are  not  now  to  be  "despised" 
as  "days  of  small  things."  And  there  is  "a  record  on  high," 
we  may  be  grateful  to  believe,  which  "  Time's  effacing  fingers" 
can  never  touch,  and  which  it  is  wise  in  all  to  consider,  if 
they  would 

"  Share  a  glorious  part" 

in  the  recompense  of  "works  of  faith,"  and  "labors  of  love," 
and  "  afflictions  accomplished  in  brethren,"  "  of  whom  the 
world  was  not  worthy." 

In  the  Protestant  and  Puritan  settlement  of  New  England 
before  the  Jesuits  had  made  the  conquest  of  the  territory,  G-od's 
hand  is  to  be  adoringly  acknowledged,  as  also  in  preserving  the 
secret  of  the  vast  American  Continent  until  the  approaching 
struggle  of  the  Reformation.  The  enterprise  of  1620  was  not 
of  human  device  or  worldly  policy.  From  Him,  who  is  "  won- 
derful in  counsel  and  excellent  in  working,"  the  sublime  con- 
ception of  a  Commonwealth,  to  be  founded  in  the  North  Amer- 
ican wilderness  by  a  few  exiled  Puritans,  must  have  origin- 
ated. And  by  hi^  favor  only,  in  sovereign  election  or  prefer- 
ence, were  those  institutions  established  by  our  forefathers, 
which,  in  less  than  fifty  years  from  the  commencement  of  the 
Massachusetts  Colony,  afforded  such  occasion  for  the  admiring 
and  rejoicing  testimony  of  the  fourth  President  of  Harvard  Col- 


ORIGiy  OF  AMERICAN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS.  Q 

lege :  "I  look  upon  this  as  a  little  model  of  the  glorious  king- 
dom of  Christ  on  earth.  Christ  reigns  among  us  in  the  Com- 
monwealth as  well  as  in  the  Church,  and  hath  his  glorious  in- 
terest involved  in  the  good  of  both  societies  respectively."* 

For  a  long  period,  America  was  to  Christians  of  Europe  the 
great  field  of  missionary  effort.  It  is  even  maintained  that 
the  inspiring  idea  of  Columbus  was  derived  from  the  proph- 
ecies ;  and  that  Isabella,  his  patron,  made  the  conversion  of 
the  heathen  an  object  "  paramount  to  all  the  rest."  When 
our  fathers  came  hither,  these  were  all  '■^foreign  parts:''''  it 
was  all  heathen  ground.  Long  after  their  coming,  the  churches 
in  England  were  accustomed  to  pray  in  their  songs, 

"  Dark  America  convert, 
And  every  Pagan  land." 

And  in  some  places,  these  lines  are  still  sung,  strangely  as  they 
sound  to  the  ear  of  a  New  England  man  who  may  chance  to 
hear  them.  So  vast  is  the  change ;  so  accustomed  are  we  to 
our  Christian  institutions,  that  we  are  all  in  danger  of  forget- 
ting that  we  live  upon  the  soil  that  has  been  rescued  from  Pa- 
ganism. Never,  never  should  it  be  forgotten!  And  never 
should  it  be  forgotten  that  the  settlement  of  New  England  was 
in  reality,  though  not  in  name,  a  Missionary  Enterprise.  Or. 
if  any  prefer  to  call  it  by  other  terms,  it  may  be  called  a  Mis- 
sion of  Evangelical  Colonization ;  and  it  may  be  proclaim- 
ed in  every  language,  as  the  sublimest  mission  of  modern  times. 
Those  persecuted  and  exiled  Puritans  had  no  such  purpose 
in  coming  hither,  as  has  often  been  ascribed  to  them,  even  by 
some  of  their  favored  descendants.  It  was  not  for  political  im- 
munities nor  republican  institutions.  In  the  "  love  of  Christ 
*  Election  Sermon  of  President  Oakes.  167.5. 


4  ORIGIN  OF  AMERICAN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS. 

constraining"  them,  it  was  for  the  advancement  of  that  Ref- 
ormation, which,  a  century  after  it  had  moved  all  Christen- 
dom, was  still  but  in  part  accomplished ;  for  they  were  not 
satisfied  that  the  "  Prince  of  Life"  should  only  be  acknowledged 
by  the  Church  in  his  prophetical  and  priestly  offices.  It  was 
that,  as  "  the  Lord's  freemen,"  they  might  give  him  his  king- 
ly RIGHT,  and  thus  be  "complete  in  him,  which  is  the  Head  of 
all  principality  and  power."  It  was  that,  in  the  "liberty" 
'' wherewith  the  Son  makes  free,"  they  might  enjoy  the  Gospel, 
without  "human  mixtures  and  temptations,"  and  worship  in 
peace  "while  worshiping  in  spirit  and  in  truth."  It  was  for 
the  holier  and  surer  training  of  a  consecrated  progeny,  at  the 
distance  of  a  "  nine  hundred  league  ocean,"  from  the  corrup- 
tions of  the  Old  "World.  And  not  least  of  all  in  their  desires  and 
hopes  was  the  salvation  of  the  benighted  heathen,  while  in 
every  way  which  should  be  prepared  before  them  they  would 
toil  and  pray  for  the  enlargement  of  the  kingdom  of  "the  Lord 
of  all." 

These  were  their  motives  and  ends  in  separating  themselves 
from  the  Church  of  England,  which  originally  adopted  the  Ref- 
ormation from  paramount  purposes  of  state  policy.  Above  all 
things,  it  was  in  their  hearts  to  call  no  man  master,  but  to 
obey  Him  as  their  King,  whose  inspired  word  was  their  sun, 
and  whose  atoning  blood  was  their  eternal  life.  For  this  it  was 
that,  in  the  pure  and  undying  "  love  of  their  espousals,"  they 
"went  after  him  in  the  wilderness,  in  a  land  that  was  not 
sown."  And  in  their  own  graphic  expression,  it  was  in  a  "  wil- 
derness world"  that  they  built  their  habitations  and  their  sanc- 
tuaries. For  an  object  holy  and  sublime  as  ever  angels  cele- 
brated, they  lived  here  in  hunger  and  in  cold,  and  toiled  and 


ORIGIN  OF  AMERICAN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS.  5 

watched  in  weariness  and  in  painfulness ;  where,  when  the 
bullock  lowed,  the  wild  beast  answered  him ;  and  where,  at 
the  rustling  of  a  leaf,  the  fond  mother  clasped  her  infant  closer 
to  her  bosom.  All  the  charters  enjoined  upon  the  colonists  the 
duty  of  instructing  and  christianizing  the  Pagan  aborigines. 
The  seal  of  the  Massachusetts  Colony  is  a  true  exponent  of  the 
aims  and  aspirations  of  our  fathers.  In  expressive  harmony 
with  their  benignant  desires,  they  adopted  the  figure  of  an 
aboriginal,  with  the  memorable  words  of  the  "  man  of  Mace- 
donia." Nothing,  therefore,  was  further  from  their  hearts  than 
the  wish  or  the  thought  of  colonizing  an  immense  "howling 
wilderness,"  and  redeeming  it  for  "a  goodly  heritage,"  at  the 
price  of  the  ,blood  of  the  children  of  its  forests  and  its  streams. 

If  the  venerated  Robinson  had  occasion  to  write  to  the  Grov- 
ernor  of  Plymouth,  "0  that  you  had  converted  some  before 
you  had  killed  any,"  it  was  not  because  these  were  wantonly 
destroyed,  or  hunted  down  as  "tawny  and  bloody  salvages;" 
nor  because  their  moral  ignorance  and  wretchedness  were  not 
distinct  objects  of  early  and  intense  solicitude.  In  less  than 
two  years,  one  of  the  Plymouth  settlers  was  specially  desig- 
nated to  promote  the  conversion  of  the  Indians  ;  and  as  early 
as  December,  1621,  Elder  Robert  Cushman  made  an  appeal  to 
his  friends  in  England  in  behalf  of  "  those  poor  heathen."  In 
1636,  the  Plymouth  Colony  provided  by  law  for  the  "  preach- 
ing of  the  Grospel  among  them." 

In  the  labors  of  Eliot,  the  Mayhews,  and  others  of  no  less 
renown,  it  may  be,  in  heaven ;  and  in  the  contributions  and 
personal  sacrifices  of  those  who,  out  of  their  "deep  poverty," 
sustained  them — the  first  generation  of  New  England  furnish- 
ed examples  of  as  pure  missionary  zeal  as  has  ever  yet  found 


g  ORIGIN  OF  AMERICAN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS. 

a  record  or  a  grateful  notice  in  tlie  uninspired  annals  of  re- 
demption. And  to  all  human  appearances,  far  distant  is  the 
day  ^yhen  the  "thousand"  of  thousands  shall  "become"  as  the 
"  little  one"  was,  and  the  "  strong  nation"  as  "the  small  one," 
in  the  all-pervading  and  ennohling  power  of  such  zeal  for  the 
salvation  of  the  perishing. 

The  honor  of  the  first  plan  in  England  for  sending  mission- 
aries to  the  heathen  has  hy  mistake  been  given  to  that  won- 
derful man  whose  character  is  now  at  last  receiving  a  just  and 
brilliant  vindication  against  the  atrocious  calumnies  which 
have  prevailed  for  two  centuries.  But  the  magnificent  design 
of  Cromwell,  which  contemplated  the  establishment  of  a  Coun- 
cil for  the  Protestant  religion,  in  opposition  to  the  Jesuitical 
combination  at  Rome,  and  which  was  intended  to  embrace  the 
East  and  West  Indies  in  its  fourth  department  of  operation, 
was  more  than  thirty  years  later  than  the  manifesto  of  the 
Pilgrims,  declaratory  of  the  "  great  hope  and  inward  zeal  they 
had  of  laying  some  good  foundation  for  the  propagation  and  ad- 
vancement of  the  Grospel  in  these  remote  parts  of  the  world !" 

A  society  had  been  formed  in  England,  and  collections  had 
been  taken,  in  aid  of  the  missions  of  Eliot  and  his  associates. 
It  is  beyond  a  doubt  that  the  first  settlers  of  Neiv  England 
were  the  first  Englishmen  who  devised  and  executed  a  mis- 
sion to  the  heathen ! 

As  early  as  1646,  the  Legislature  of  Massachusetts  passed 
an  act  for  the  propagation  of  the  Gospel  among  the  Indians. 
From  that  day  onward  more  or  less  of  legislative  provision  has 
been  made  for  their  religious  instruction,  as  well  as  their  social 
comfort.  And  with  all  the  changes  that  have  passed  over  the 
•'  fathers"  and  the  "  children's  children,"  there  never  has  been 


ORIGIN  OF  AMERICAN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS.  "jr 

a  time  when  they  have  not  furnished  some  laborers  in  the 
heathen  part  of  this  Western  World. 

For  almost  two  hundred  years,  the  condition  of  our  country 
and  the  state  of  the  world  at  large  very  naturally  defined,  and, 
it  may  not  be  too  much  to  say,  very  properly  circumscribed 
the  missionary  field  of  these  churches.  They  were  poor,  and 
there  were  "  many  adversaries."  They  may  not  have  "  done 
what  they  could,"  but  they  did  a  great  and  marvelous  work. 
And  the  spread  of  the  G-ospel  throughout  the  earth  was  ever 
in  the  minds  and  the  supplications  of  many  "faithful  men  in 
Christ  Jesus." 

To  pray  for  the  conversion  of  the  whole  world,  in  the  con- 
cert of  prayer  recommended,  the  year  previous,  by  the  churches 
of  Scotland,  was,  in  1747,  the  dying  injunction  of  David  Brain- 
erd  to  his  beloved  Christian  Indians.  But  the  time  had  not 
really  come,  until  the  last  generation,  when  a  Gordon  Hall 
could  reasonably  be  expected  to  take  up  the  mantle  of  Brain- 
erd,  and,  leaving  the  heathen  of  our  own  territories,  go  forth  to 
the  far  distant  Gf-entiles.  And  it  is  very  wide  from  the  truth, 
to  assume  or  believe  that  any  who  first  went  from  these  shores 
fx)  the  heathen  of  the  Oriental  Continent  and  islands,  or  that 
any  others,  who,  like  Nettleton  and  Mills,  so  ardently  and  early 
desired,  without  ever  enjoying,  a  foreign  field  of  personal  toil 
and  trial,  are  entitled  to  an  emblazoned  remembrance ;  as  if 
the  conception  of  the  arduous  and  glorious  work  to  which  so 
many  are  now  consecrated  had  never  entered  the  minds  of  the 
fathers,  who  had  not  yet  fallen  asleep,  or  of  brethren  in  the 
Lord,  who,  in  some  domestic  locality,  were  bearing  the  burden 
and  heat  of  the  day. 

In  the  midst  of  the  alarms  occasioned  by  the  French  Revo- 


g  ORIGIN  OF  AMERICAN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS. 

lution  of  1789,  "  they  that  feared  the  Lord  spake  often  one  to 
another,"  and  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic  there  was  a  con- 
cert of  supplication  for  the  outpouring  of  the  Spirit,  the  dis- 
comfiture of  the  foes  of  the  Grospel,  and  the  enlargement  of 
Zion  over  all  the  earth,  even  to  "the  uttermost  parts  of  the 
sea."  As  early  as  1792,  there  was  a  cheering  earnest  of  the  ex- 
tensive revivals  of  religion,  which,  at  the  close  of  the  eighteenth 
and  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century,  exerted  a  power- 
ful influence,  and  gave  an  extraordinary  though  legitimate  im- 
pulse to  the  work  of  American  Missions.  After  the  London 
Missionary  Society  was  formed,  in  1795,  the  movements  and 
appeals  of  Christians  in  England  had  an  electrical  effect  upon 
our  churches.  Missionary  publications  awakened  an  interest 
which,  in  our  present  circumstances,  it  is  difficult  to  appreciate. 

New  settlements  were  now  rapidly  extending  in  Western 
New  York,  the  valley  of  the  Ohio,  and  the  Mississippi.  The  re- 
ligious privations  and  moral  dangers  of  the  emigrating  children 
of  the  Pilgrims  and  Puritans  of  New  England  were  regarded 
by  their  friends  at  home  as  but  little  less  than  those  of  the 
heathen  tribes,  whose  wigwams  and  manifold  abominations 
were,  in  some  places  of  the  wilderness,  not  distant  from  them 
"  a  Sabbath-day's  journey."  Hence  plans  for  new  evangelical 
exertions,  and  for  new  organizations  adapted  to  the  exigences 
of  the  times,  were  anxiously  and  devoutly  considered. 

Before  the  independence  of  the  colonies,  there  were  several 
attempts  to  form  missionary  societies  that  should  be  independ- 
ent of  those  in  England,  Scotland,  and  elsewhere,  to  which 
the  colonial  churches  were  accustomed  to  make  liberal  con- 
tributions. But  such  attempts  were  discouraged  in  the  mother 
country.     Missionary  organizations  in  Massachusetts,  for  ex- 


ORIGIN  OF  AMERICAN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS.  Q 

ample,  were  denied  the  royal  seal  of  approval  or  consent.  This 
was  doubtless  owing  to  the  desire  and  policy  of  preventing  an 
increase,  both  of  Congregational  and  Presbyterian  elements  of 
antagonism  to  Episcopacy. 

In  1787,  a  "Society  for  Propagating  the  Grospel  among  the 
Indians  and  others  in  North  America"  was  incorporated  by 
the  Legislature  of  Massachusetts.  In  1789,  the  Greneral  As- 
sembly of  the  Presbyterian  Church  "passed  an  order  requiring 
the  churches  under  their  care  to  take  up  collections  for  a  Mis- 
sionary Fund."  A  mission  from  this  Church  to  Africa  had 
been  contemplated  in  1774,  the  same  year  in  which  the  Con- 
necticut Greneral  Association  resolved  to  send  missionaries  to 
the  northern  and  western  wilderness.  In  1798,  this  associa- 
tion became  the  Missionary  Societi/  of  Connecticut.  The 
New  York  Missionary  Society,  for  "  sending  the  G-ospel  to  the 
frontier  settlements,  and  among  the  Indian  tribes  in  the  United 
States,"  was  formed  a  little  earlier,  November  1st,  1796. 

After  much  consultation,  in  1797  and  1798,  and  not  with- 
out much  opposition  from  various  causes,  the  Massachusetts 
Missionary  Society  was  formally  instituted.  May  28th,  1799. 
The  object  was  "  to  diffuse  the  knowledge  of  the  Gospel 
among  the  heathens,  as  ivell  as  other  people  in  the  remote 
parts  of  our  country,  where  Christ  is  seldom  or  never 
preachedy 

This  society,  like  those  which  had  already  begun  to  operate 
with  auspicious  tokens  of  the  divine  blessing,  may  be  said  to 
have  been  born  and  baptized  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  while  thou- 
sands of  new  converts  to  righteousness  were  animating  the 
hopes  of  the  tried  and  faithful  in  Christ  Jesus.  Those  great 
revivals,  to  which  allusion  has  been  made,  carried  forward  and 


10  ORIGIN  OF   AMERICAN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS. 

signalized  the  work  of  missions  in  our  churches  far  beyond 
what  many  among  us,  at  this  day,  appear  to  have  ever  known 
or  imagined ;  although  the  knowledge  is  quite  essential  to 
any  just  view  of  the  origin  of  our  present  foreign  missionary 
organizations. 

The  first  address  of  the  Massachusetts  Missionary  Society 
breathes  the  genuine  spirit  of  the  charge  from  Mount  Olivet. 
The  society  was  at  once  brought  into  fellowship  and  correspond- 
ence with  the  London  Miss^ionary  Society,  and  others  in  Great 
Britain.  Among  the  founders  were  the  worthy  and  honored 
men  who  afterward  had  the  leading  influence  in  the  forma- 
tion and  establishment  of  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners 
for  Foreign  Missions  ;  and  it  was  while  laboring  in  the  Massa- 
chusetts Missionary  Society  that  they  were  trained  for  their 
higher  responsibilities  and  more  memorable  services.  For 
twenty  years  before  the  first  missionaries  went  from  America 
to  Asia,  the  good  hand  of  God  had  been  wonderfully  working 
in  the  churches  of  New  England  and  the  Middle  States,  and 
all  over  the  country  ;  hastening  and  completing  the  fullness  of 
time  for  their  consecration  and  departure. 

Establishments  precisely  similar  to  those  which  we  now 
sustain  in  foreign  lands  might  have  been  undertaken  by  the 
Massachusetts  Missionary  Society.  But  as  some  of  the  mem- 
bers wished  to  leave  no  room  for  a  doubt  of  their  constitutional 
powers  to  extend  their  operations  to  any  other  land,  it  was 
explicitly  voted,  in  May,  1804,  that  "the  object  of  the  society 
is  to  diffuse  the  Gospel  among  the  people  of  the  newly  settled 
and  remote  parts  of  our  country,  among  the  Indians  of  the 
country,  and  through  more  distant  regions  of  the  earth,  as 
circumstances  shall  invite  and  the  ability  of  the  society  shall 


ORIGIN  OF  AMERICAN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS.  -^-^ 

admit."  The  Constitution  was  amended  accordingly.  If  the 
men,  therefore,  could  have  been  obtained,  and  the  money  se- 
cured, missionaries  could  have  been  sent  to  Bombay,  Ceylon, 
and  the  Sandwich  Islands,  as  they  were  afterward  by  the 
American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions.* 

After  the  formation  of  the  Massachusetts  Missionary  Society 
in  1799,  there  was  a  constant  progress  of  the  spirit  of  missions. 
In  the  Annual  Missionary  Sermon  before  the  General  Assem- 
bly in  Philadelphia,  preached  in  May,  1805,  Dr.  Griffin  said, 
"  The  Christian  world,  after  long  contenting  itself  with  prayers 
for  the  heathen,  and  with  saying.  Be  ye  ivarmed  and  filled, 
is  awakening  to  more  charitable  views.  Men,  warmed  with 
apostolic  zeal,  have  abandoned  the  comforts  of  civilized  life,  and 
are  gone  to  the  ends  of  the  earth  to  bear  to  benighted  nations 
the  first  tidings  of  a  precious  Savior.  Numerous  societies 
have  risen  into  existence  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic,  under 
whose  patronage  missionaries  are  now  employed  from  India  to 
the  American  wilderness,  from  Greenland  to  the  Southern 
Ocean.  Some  of  the  first-fruits  of  their  labors,  I  hope,  are  al- 
ready gathered  into  the  heavenly  garner."  *  *  * 

"  In  the  awful  hour  when  you,  and  I,  and  all  the  Pagan  na- 
tions, shall  be  called  from  our  graves  to  stand  before  the  bar 
of  Christ,  what  comparison  will  these  objects  bear  to  the  salva- 
tion of  a  single  soul  ?  Eternal  mercy  !  let  not  the  blood  of 
heathen  millions  in  that  hour  be  found  in  our  skirts  !  Stand- 
ing as  I  now  do,  in  the  sight  of  a  dissolving  universe,  behold- 

*  For  a  full  account  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  the  spirit  of  missions,  pre- 
paratory to  the  formation  of  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign 
Missions,  in  1810,  the  reader  may  be  referred  to  "  The  Life  and  Labors  of  Rev. 
Samuel  Worcester,  D.D."     Published  by  Crocker  and  Brewster,  Boston,  1852. 


22  ORIGIN   OF  AMERICAN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS. 

ing  the  dead  arise,  the  world  in  flames,  the  heavens  fleeing 
away,  all  nations  convulsed  with  terror,  or  rapt  in  the  vision 
of  the  Lamb,  I  pronounce  the  conversion  of  a  single  Pagan  of 
more  value  than  all  the  wealth  that  ever  Omnipotence  produced. 
On  such  an  awful  subject  it  becomes  me  to  speak  with  caution ; 
but  I  solemnly  aver,  that  were  there  but  one  heathen  in  the 
world,  and  he  in  the  remotest  corner  of  Asia,  if  no  greater  duty 
confined  us  at  home,  it  would  be  worth  the  pains  of  all  the 
people  in  America  to  embark  together  to  carry  the  Gospel  to 
him." 

In  his  Sermon  before  the  Massachusetts  Missionary  Society 
in  May,  1809,  Dr.  Worcester  affirmed,  that  "the  extensive 
dissemination  of  the  word  of  G-od,  the  unlocking  of  the  treas- 
ures of  divine  truth  to  all  the  families  of  the  earth,  the  general 
diffusion  and  nurture  of  a  missionary  spirit,  and  the  establish- 
ment over  all  the  world  of  missionary  stations,  are  most  im- 
portant preparations  for  the  glorious  scene  in  due  time  to  ensue. 
Ere  long  the  Lord  will  give  the  word,  and  great  will  be  the 
company  of  the  publishers.  Light  will  break  forth  in  all  di- 
rections, and  the  whole  earth  will  be  filled  with  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  glory  of  Grod." 

"  Yes,  my  brethren,  the  oracles  of  Grod  are  sure,  and  the 
expanding  hopes  of  the  Church  are  not  vain.  The  Lord  is  on 
his  way ;  and  the  day,  the  long  expected,  prayed  for  day  of  his 
promise  is  at  hand." 

Others,  also,  were  at  this  same  time  intently  watching  the 
indications  of  Providence,  and  devoutly  praying  that  laborers 
might  soon  be  furnished  and  sent  forth  to  the  perishing  Pagans 
of  other  continents.  Indeed,  the  days  had  now  nearly  arrived 
when  the  American  churches  should  send  forth  to  the  "utter- 


ORIGIN  OF  AMERICAN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS.  1Q 

most  parts  of  the  earth,"  not  their  sympathies,  supplications, 
and  supplies  only,  hut  their  servants  for  Jesus'  sake,  to  gather 
sheaves  of  glory  to  the  Son  of  Grod.  The  young  men  were 
ready,  and  the  hour  at  hand  for  the  fathers  to  give  them  the 
guidance  of  their  wisdom,  and  the  guardianship  of  their  care. 

Before  the  expiration  of  another  year  from  the  time  of  Dr. 
"Worcester's  Sermon  in  May,  1809,  there  were,  as  it  is  now 
known,  about  twenty  young  men  who  had  been  examining 
the  question  of  duty  in  regard  to  preaching  the  G-ospel  to  the 
heathen  of  Asia,  Africa,  or  the  Islands  of  the  Sea.  And  with 
the  life  of  some  of  these  in  particular  not  only  begins  a  new 
chapter,  but  a  neiv  volume  in  the  history  of  American  mis- 
sions. 

It  would  seem  impossible  that  so  much  missionary  intelli- 
gence, with  the  influence  of  such  revivals  of  religion,  from 
1797  to  1807,  could  have  failed  to  arouse  some  of  the  youth- 
ful converts  to  consider  the  question  of  personal  duty  to  the 
distant  heathen.  There  is  probably  but  a  small  part  as  yet 
known  of  the  searchings  of  self-examination,  and  of  the  ardent 
longings  for  the  foreign  missionary  service,  like  those  of  Asahel 
Nettleton  and  Samuel  J.  Mills.  Born  on  the  same  day,  April 
21st,  1783,  they  were  "  born  of  the  Spirit,"  as  they  were  per- 
mitted to  trust,  in  the  latter  part  of  1801 ;  Nettleton  perhaps 
two  months  earlier  than  Mills. 

"  About  this  time,"  says  his  biographer  and  much-beloved 
friend,  "  he  became  exceedingly  interested  in  the  short  ac- 
counts, which  were  published  in  the  Connecticut  Evangelical 
Magazine,  of  the  operations  of  the  London  Missionary  Society, 
and  of  the  Baptist  Missionary  Society  in  England.  These 
awakened  in  his  breast  a  strong  desire  to  become  a  missionary 


]^4  ORIGIN  OF  AMERICAN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS. 

to  the  heathen ;  and  he  decided  to  devote  his  life  to  the  mis- 
sionary service,  if  G-od,  in  his  providence,  should  prepare  the 
way.  This  purpose  was  afterward  greatly  strengthened  by 
the  perusal  of  Home's  Letters  on  Missions.  The  feelings 
which  Samuel  J.  Mills  expressed  to  his  father,  soon  after  his 
conversion,  were  precisely  the  feelings  of  young  Nettleton  at 
this  period,  viz.,  "  That  he  could  not  conceive  of  any  course 
of  life  in  ivhich  to  pass  the  rest  of  his  days,  that  would  proiw 
so  pleasant  as  to  go  and  communicate  the  Gospel  of  Salva- 
tion to  the  poor  heathen." 

This  observation  of  Mills  was  made,  it  would  seem,  some 
time  in  1802,  probably  in  the  early  part  of  the  year.  It  was 
when  he  had  returned  home  from  Litchfield  Academy,  and  was 
"the  first  idea,"  we  are  told  in  his  Memoir,  that  "his  father 
had  of  his  change  of  mind,"  after  the  agonizing  disclosure  of 
his  feelings,  as  he  parted  from  his  mother  in  November,  1801. 
"  His  attention  was  directed  to  the  subject"  of  missions  to  the 
heathen,  "  by  remarks^  which,  in  his  childhood,  he  had  often 
heard  from  the  lips  of  his  mother.  She  was  a  missionary 
woman,  and  frequently  spoke  of  Brainerd,  and  Eliot,  and  other 
missionaries ;  and  as  she  dwelt  upon  the  glorious  cause  in 
which  they  were  engaged,  he  once  heard  her  say,  respectmg 
himself,  '  /  have  consecrated  this  child  to  the  service  of  God 
as  a  missionary.^  This  remark  made  an  impression  on  his 
mind  that  was  never  effaced.  Thus  early  did  a  sovereign 
God  set  apart  Samuel  J.  Mills  for  a  missionary.  And  it  is 
somewhat  remarkable  that  from  the  hour  of  his  conversion  he 
never  lost  sight  of  his  darling  object.  Though  but  a  youth  of 
nineteen,  he  discovered  a  zeal  in  the  missionary  cause,  an 
eagerness  in  the  pursuit  of  missionary  intelligence,  and  an  en- 


ORIGIN   OF  AMERICAN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS.  j^^ 

largement  of  thought  in  his  plans,  to  become  acquainted  with 
the  true  state  of  the  unevangelized  world,  which  left  little 
doubt  that  he  was  chained  to  his  purpose  by  a  superior  power." 

"  It  was  a  heart  yearning  over  the  miseries  of  perishing 
millions  that  first  led  him  to  think  of  acquiring  an  education 
with  a  view  to  the  Gospel  ministry.  Having  consulted  his 
parents  and  unfolded  all  his  purpose,  which,  should  Grod  per- 
mit, was  no  less  than  to  devote  his  life  to  the  cause  of  missions 
in  foreign  lands,  and  having  received  their  approbation  and 
their  blessing,  he  resolved  on  measures  for  changing  his  course 
of  life.  Though  the  determination  of  the  son  gained  the  joy- 
ful approbation  of  his  parents,  it  was  not  without  feelings  of 
self-denial ;  for  when  he  told  his  mother  of  his  determination 
to  go  to  the  heathen,  with  the  feelings  of  a  mother  she  replied, 
'  I  can  not  bear  to  part  luith  you,  my  son.^  But  when  he  re- 
minded her  of  what  she  said  to  him  when  a  child,  she  burst 
into  tears,  and  never  after  made  the  least  objection."  *  *  * 
Having  put  his  secular  concerns  into  other  hands,  Mills  be- 
came a  member  of  Williams  College,  in  Massachusetts,  in  the 
spring  of  1806. 

There  were  those  in  whom  the  same  desires  and  purposes, 
"  in  respect  to  foreign  missions,"  was  originated  and  cherished, 
without  the  slightest  knowledge  of  the  designs  or  the  persons 
of  the  young  men  at  "Williams  College,  and  upon  whose  minds 
the  same  Holy  Spirit  was  operating  as  upon  them,  with  ulti- 
mate reference  to  the  new  era  of  American  missions.  And 
there  were  thousands  more  or  less  consciously  and  simultane- 
ously moved,  in  the  providential  preparation  of  instrumentali- 
ties for  the  great  change  which  was  about  to  be  revealed  in 
the  faith  and  action  of  the  churches.     But  no  one  appears  to 


2g  ORIGIN  OF  AMERICAN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS. 

have  been  more  signally  favored  in  this  work  of  preparation 
than  Samuel  J.  Mills. 

"  It  was  not,"  says  his  biographer,  "  until  he  became  a 
member  of  college  that  his  spirit  of  missions  came  out  to  view. 
It  was  then  that  the  subject  of  missions  fastened  upon  his  at- 
tention, engrossed  the  meditations  of  his  serious  hours,  took 
deep  hold  of  his  feelings,  and  became  the  burden  of  his  prayers. 
It  seems  to  have  been  a  peculiar  visitation  of  the  Spirit  of  God 
that  turned  all  the  solicitude  and  affection  of  his  heart  to  this 
object.  He  reflected  long  and  prayed  much  before  he  disclosed 
his  views ;  and  when  he  determined  to  unburden  his  mind, 
by  conversing  with  two  or  three  of  his  more  intimate  fellow- 
students,  it  was  in  a  manner  that  deserves  to  be  related :  he 
led  them  out  into  a  meadow,  at  a  distance  from  the  college,  to 
a  retirement  probably  familiar  to  himself,  though  little  exposed 
to  observation  or  liable  to  be  approached,  where,  by  the  side 
of  a  large  stack  of  hay,  he  devoted  the  day  to  prayer  and  fast- 
ing, and  familiar  conversation  on  this  new  and  interesting 
theme  ;  when,  much  to  his  surprise  and  gratification,  he  found 
that  the  Spirit  of  God  had  been  enkindling  in  their  bosoms  the 
flame  which  had  been  so  long  burning  in  his  own.  The  reader 
will  not  be  surprised  to  learn,  that  from  this  hour  this  endear- 
ed retreat  was  often  made  solemn  by  the  presence,  and  hal- 
lowed by  the  piety  of  these  dear  young  men." 

Such,  doubtless,  was  the  origin  of  the  society  of  missionary 
candidates  in  Williams  College,  to  which  allusion  has  so  often 
been  made.  Through  the  kindness  of  the  present  highly 
esteemed  secretary  of  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for 
Foreign  Missions,  a  very  important  part  of  the  "  secret"  history 
of  that  society,  and  of  the  missionary  spirit  of  Mills,  Hall. 


ORIGIN  OF  AMERICAN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS.  "^rj 

Richards,  Rice,  and  their  associates,  is  now  given  to  the  world. 
A  fac  simile  of  a  part  of  the  original  constitution  is  presented, 
with  the  names  of  the  first  signers,  and  a  translation  of  the 
entire  document. 


^8  ORIGIN  OF  AMERICAN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS. 

CONSTITUTION  OF  A  SOCIETY  OF  BRETHREN. 

Williams  College,  September  7th,  1808. 

Article  1st.  This  society  shall  be  distinguished  by  the  ap- 
pellation  Brethren. 

Article  2d.  The  object  of  this  society  shall  be  to  effect  in 
the  persons  of  its  members  a  mission  or  missions  to  the  heathen. 

Article  Sd.  The  government  of  this  society  shall  be  vested 
in  a  president,  vice-president,  and  secretary,  who  shall  be  an- 
nually chosen,  and  shall  perform  the  ordinary  duties  of  their 
respective  offices. 

Article  4th.  The  existence  of  this  society  shall  be  kept  secret. 

Article  5th.  The  utmost  care  shall  be  exercised  in  admitting 
members.  All  the  information  shall  be  acquired  of  the  char- 
acter and  situation  of  a  candidate  which  is  practicable. 

No  person  shall  be  admitted  who  is  under  an  engagement 
of  any  kind  which  shall  be  incompatible  with  going  on  a  mis- 
sion to  the  heathen. 

No  person  shall  be  admitted  until  he  express  a  firm  belief 
in  those  distinguishing  doctrines  commonly  denominated  evan- 
gelical. 

No  person  shall  be  permitted  to  see  this  Constitution  until, 
from  personal  acquaintance,  it  is  fully  believed,  by  at  least  two 
members,  that  he  is  a  suitable  person  to  be  admitted,  and  that 
he  will  sign  it ;  and  until  he  is  laid  under  the  following  affirma- 
tion : 

"  You  solemnly  promise  to  keep  inviolably  secret  the  exist- 
ence of  this  society." 

Article  6th.  Each  member  shall  keep  absolutely  free  from 
every  engagement  which,  after  his  prayerful  attention,  and 
after  consultation  with  the  brethren,  shall  be  deemed  incom- 


ORIGIN  OF  AMERICAN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS.  |C) 

patible  with  the  objects  of  this  society  ;  and  shall  hold  himself 
in  readiness  to  go  on  a  mission  when  and  where  duty  may 
call. 

Article  1th.  Any  member,  on  application,  shall  be  released 
from  this  society ;  and  the  society  shall  have  power  to  dismiss 
any  member,  when  satisfied  that  his  character,  or  engagements, 
or  situation  render  it  expedient. 

Article  8th.  No  alteration  shall  be  made  in  this  Constitution 
without  the  concurrence  of  two  thirds  of  the  members  of  the 
society. 

Samuel  .J.  Mills,  1808. 

Ezra  Fisk,  1808. 

James  Richards,    1808. 

John  Seward,         1808. 

Luther  Rice,         1808. 

The  Constitution  and  the  records  of  the  society's  proceed- 
ings, which  had  been  kept  in  the  same  characters,  were  trans- 
lated from  the  original  by  Pliny  Fisk,  October  8th,  1818, 
agreeably  to  a  vote  of  the  society. 

"  The  reason  why  the  Constitution  and  records  were  written 
in  ciphers,"  writes  Dr.  Anderson,  "  and  why  a  knowledge  of 
the  society  was  withheld  from  the  Christian  public,  are  thus 
stated  by  Dr.  Fisk,*  in  a  letter  dated  G-oshen,  New  York, 
June  24th,  1829. 

"  The  reasons  for  secrecy  were  the  possibility  of  failure  in  the 
enterprise,  public  opinion  then  being  opposed  to  us ;  in  accord- 
ance with  which  good  men  often  said,  the  enterprise  of  foreign 

*  Dr.  Fisk  was  prevented  from  going  on  a  mission  by  the  failure  of  his 
health. 


20  ORIGIN  OF  AMERICAN  FOREIGN  3IISSI0NS. 

missions,  of  which  we  talked,  was  the  result  of  overheated 
zeal,  and  would  he  soon  forgotten ;  there  was  enough  to  do  at 
home,  &c.  Under  these  circumstances,  modesty  required  us 
to  conceal  our  association,  lest  we  should  be  thought  rashly 
imprudent,  and  so  should  injure  the  cause  we  wished  to  pro- 
mote. These  were  the  general  reasons.  Besides  these,  Mills 
always  desired  to  be  unseen  in  all  his  movements  on  this  sub- 
ject, which,  I  am  well  persuaded,  arose  from  his  unaffected 
humility,  never  desirous  to  distinguish  himself,  but  to  induce 
others  to  go  forward." 

"  The  Rev.  H.  G .  0.  D wight  states  the  following  facts,  based 
on  an  interview  with  Dr.  Fisk  in  the  year  1829.  Mills  was  the 
founder  of  the  society  at  Williams  College.  He  first  unbo- 
somed himself  to  Grordon  Hall,  then  to  James  Richards,  then 
to  Ezra  Fisk.  These  talked  together  and  prayed  over  the  sub- 
ject from  the  fall  of  the  year  1807.  The  first  object  of  the 
fraternity,  organized  the  following  year,  was  to  so  operate  upon 
the  public  mind  as  to  lead  to  the  formation  of  a  missionary 
society.''' 

In  carrying  forward  their  benevolent  designs,  the  members 
of  this  society  republished  the  sermon  of  Dr.  Grriflin  before  the 
Greneral  Assembly,  &c.,  and  that  of  Dr.  Livingston  before  the 
New  York  Missionary  Society.  They  wrote  to  distinguished 
clergymen,  among  whom  "  were  Drs.  Worcester,  G-riffin,  Morse, 
and  Dana.  These  individuals  they  visited  repeatedly,  and 
with  some  of  them  spent  their  vacations,  laboring  among  their 
people,  and  at  the  same  time  pressing  their  suit." 

In  his  work  on  missions,  Mr.  Tracy,  with  his  usual  felicity 
of  discrimination,  has  commended  the  course  of  the  society  at 
Williams  College.     "  They  showed  at  once  the  soundest  prac- 


ORIGIN  OF  AMERICAN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS.  01 

tical  wisdom,  the  most  rational  confidence  in  the  goodness  of 
their  cause,  and  the  modesty  which  is  becoming  in  young 
men.  Had  they  at  first  carried  their  yet  crude  and  ill-digest- 
ed plans,  in  a  style  of  fervid  declamation,  before  the  more  igno- 
rant and  excitable  part  of  the  churches,  they  might  have  raised 
up  a  violent  and  angry  party  in  favor  of  rash  and  impractica- 
ble schemes  ;  and  thus  they  might  have  thrown  off  the  more 
steady  and  permanently  efficient  part  of  the  Christian  com- 
munity from  participating  in  their  enterprise.  Instead  of  this, 
they  went  to  men  whose  characters  were  established  as  safe 
advisers ;  men  capable  of  appreciating  their  motives  and  their 
arguments,  and  detecting  their  errors,  and  of  supplying  their 
defects  ;  men  in  whom  experience  had  taught  the  Christian 
public  to  have  confidence,  and  whose  sanction  would  secure  to 
their  cause  a  favorable  hearing.  Of  these,  the  prudent,  the 
cautious,  the  deliberate  Dr.  "Worcester,  who,  because  he  was 
such  a  man,  would  no  more  reject  a  plan  than  he  would  adopt 
one  without  knowing  its  value,  was  the  first  to  become  zealous- 
ly interested  in  the  enterprise." 

It  is  not  the  design  of  this  article  to  trace  in  detail  the  his- 
tory of  this  "  society  of  brethren,"  until  it  had  effected  "  in  the 
persons  of  its  members  a  mission  or  missions  to  the  heathen." 
By  visits  to  other  colleges,  by  correspondence,  personal  conver- 
sation, and  other  means,  they  did  much  service  to  their  cause. 
On  leaving  Williamstown,  several  of  them  entered  the  Theolog- 
ical Seminary  at  Andover,  Massachusetts,  where  they  labored 
with  diligence  and  success  in  promoting  a  spirit  of  missions. 

Such  was  the  state  of  inquiry  on  the  subject,  that  "  I  thought, 
at  the  time,"  says  Dr.  Ide,  "  and  have  thought  since,  that  God 
then  sent  his  Spirit  into  the  seminary  to  convert  the  students 


OO  ORIGIN   OF  AMERICAN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS. 

to  the  subject  of  missions  ;  for  seldom  have  I  seen  a  more  ev- 
ident movement  of  the  Spirit  upon  the  minds  of  sinners,  to 
awaken,  to  convince,  to  convert  them,  than  was  manifest  in 
the  Seminary,  in  turning  the  attention  and  hearts  of  the  stu- 
dents to  the  condition  of  the  perishing  heathen." 

The  Rev.  Samuel  Nott,  Junior,  now  the  sole  survivor  of  the 
first  hand  of  American  foreign  missionaries,  has  recently  said, 
in  reference  to  this  period,  "It  has  never  seemed  to  me  of  any 
consequence  to  settle  the  matter  as  to  who  was  or  who  was  not 
the  leader  of  the  movement,  unless  it  were  to  show  that  no 
man  was  ;  and  that  it  must  have  been,  that  like  influences  of 
like  circumstances,  which  divine  Providence,  and,  I  trust,  di- 
vine grace,  turned  to  this  account,  preparing  for  a  combination 
above  any  device  of  man.  In  my  own  mind,  at  least,  the  start- 
ing-point and  early  progress,  the  essence  of  the  whole,  was  with- 
out any  knowledge  of  the  existence  even  of  those  who  were  so 
soon  to  be  my  associates  ;  and  on  such  a  principle  as  possessed 
a  solemn  and  independent  power." 

It  is  not  supposed  that  the  purposes  of  these  candidates  for 
foreign  missionary  service  were  at  all  known  to  the  preacher 
of  the  annual  sermon  before  the  Massachusetts  Missionary  So- 
ciety, at  their  meeting.  May  29th,  1810.  However  this  was,  it 
is  evident  that  he  was  much  impressed  with  the  idea  of  a  new 
development  of  the  missionary  spirit. 

"  Is  the  expectation,  my  brethren,  visionary  and  unfounded, 
that  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when,  from  the  United  States, 
missionaries  will  go  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  Gospel 
to  every  creature  ?  Yes,  my  brethren,  when  men,  in  the  be- 
nevolent spirit  and  with  the  holy  ardor  of  an  Eliot,  a  Brainerd, 
a  Tennent,  will,  under  the  patronage  of  the  Massachusetts  Mis- 


OtilGIS  or  AMERICAS  FOREJOS  M1SS10JI8.  23 

sionary  Srx'iety,  go  forth  into  every  region  of  the  habitable 
globe,  with  the  everlasting  Grjnpel  in  their  hands,  in  their  hearts, 
and  upon  their  tongue.^,  accompanied  with  the  fervent  prayer= 
of  thrjosands  for  their  succesa  ?" 

Such  were  the  sentiments  of  no  small  nnrnber  of  clergymen 
and  laymen  connected  with  one  or  more  of  the  many  mission- 
ary organizations.  But  to  support  missions  in  countries  sep- 
arated from  us  by  thousands  of  leagues  of  ocean,  annual  con- 
tributions were  needed,  and  an  available  credit  in  the  commer- 
cial world,  which  it  would  have  been  presumption  to  expect, 
unless  there  could  be  an  organization  enlisting  in  its  support 
a  much  greater  number  of  the  friends  of  Christ  than  any  ex- 
isting missionary  society  in  the  United  States  could  claim  as 
its  members  or  supporters. 

Hence  neither  the  Directors  of  the  Massachusetts  3Iissionary 
Society,  nor  those  of  any  kindred  institution,  could  have  been 
justified  in  sending  forth  the  young  men  whom  Providence 
had  been  preparing.  The  counsel  of  the  wisest,  therefore,  was 
needed.  By  concerted  arrangements.  Dr.  Spring  and  Dr.  "Wor- 
cester met  the  professors,  at  Andover,  with  a  few  others,  for 
consultation.*  It  was  a  meeting  never  to  be  forgotten.  Ad- 
vice was  given  to  Mills  and  his  associates  to  submit  their  case 
to  the  General  Association,  which  was  to  meet  the  next  day 
at  Bradford,  and  which  Dr.  Spring  and  Dr.  Worcester  were  ex- 
pecting to  attend  as  delegates. 

The  association  was  organized  at  Bradford.  Wednesday, 
June  27th.  From  the  minutes  it  appears,  that  on  Thursday. 
P.  M.,  "  four  young  gentlemen,  members  of  the  Divinity  Col- 
lege, were  introduced,  and  presented  the  following  paper," 
♦  At  the  house  of  Professor  .Stuart,  Monday,  June  25th,  1810. 


24  ORIGIN  OF  AMERICAN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS. 

which  was  drawn  up  by  Mr.  Jiidson.*  "  The  undersigned, 
members  of  the  Divinity  College,  respectfully  request  the  at- 
tention of  their  reverend  fathers,  convened  in  the  G-eneral  As- 
sociation at  Bradford,  to  the  following  statement  and  inquiries  : 

"  They  beg  leave  to  state,  that  their  minds  have  been  long- 
impressed  with  the  duty  and  importance  of  personally  attempt- 
ing a  mission  to  the  heathen ;  that  the  impressions  on  their 
minds  have  induced  a  serious,  and,  they  trust,  a  prayerful  con- 
sideration of  the  subject  in  its  various  attitudes,  particularly 
in  relation  to  the  probable  success  and  the  difficulties  attend- 
ing such  an  attempt ;  and  that,  after  examining  all  the  informa- 
tion which  they  can  obtain,  they  consider  themselves  as  de- 
voted to  this  work  for  life,  whenever  God  in  his  providence 
shall  open  the  way. 

"  They  now  offer  the  following  inquiries,  on  which  they  so- 
licit the  opinion  and  advice  of  this  association.  Whether,  with 
their  present  views  and  feelings,  they  ought  to  renounce  the 
object  of  missions  as  visionary  or  impracticable  ;  if  not,  wheth- 
er they  ought  to  direct  their  attention  to  the  Eastern  or  the 
Western  World  ;  whether  they  may  expect  patronage  and  sup- 
port from  a  missionary  society  in  this  country,  or  must  com- 
mit themselves  to  the  direction  of  a  European  society;  and 
what  preparatory  measures  they  ought  to  take  previous  to  act- 
ual engagements  ? 

"  The  undersigned,  feeling  their  youth  and  inexperience, 

*  The  editor  has  been  favored,  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Stow,  of  Boston,  v^'ith  the 
perusal  of  a  letter,  now^  in  his  possession,  written  by  Mr.  Judson  to  his  father, 
on  his  return  from  the  meeting  at  Bradford,  in  which  this  paper  is  copied, 
and  he  says,  "  At  the  suggestion  of  Dr.  Spring  and  Dr.  Worcester,  I  wrote  the 
above  memorial." 


ORIGIN  OF  AMERICAN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS.  25 

look  up  to  their  fathers  in  the  Church,  and  respectfully  solicit 

their  advice,  direction,  and  prayers. 

"  Adoniram  Judson,  Jr., 
"  Samuel  Nott,  Jr., 
"  Samuel  J.  Mills, 
"  Samuel  Newell."* 

After  hearing  from  the  young  gentlemen  some  more  particu- 
lar account  of  the  state  of  their  minds,  and  their  views  rela- 
tive to  the  subject  offered  to  consideration,  the  business  was 
committed  to  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Spring,  "Worcester,  and  Hale. 

The  committee  on  the  subject  of  Foreign  Missions  made  the 
following  report,  which  was  unanimously  accepted. 

"  The  committee  to  whom  was  referred  the  request  of  the 
young  gentlemen,  members  of  Divinity  College,  for  advice  rela- 
tive to  missions  to  the  heathen,  beg  leave  to  submit  the  fol- 
lowing report : 

"  The  object  of  missions  to  the  heathen  can  not  but  be  re- 
garded by  the  friends  of  the  Redeemer  as  vastly  interesting 
and  important.  It  deserves  the  most  serious  attention  of  all 
who  wish  well  to  the  best  interests  of  mankind,  and  especially 
of  those  who  devote  themselves  to  the  service  of  God  in  the 
kingdom  of  his  Son,  under  the  impression  of  the  special  direc- 
tion, '  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every 

*  The  name  of  James  Richards  was  withheld  from  the  paper,  and  even  that 
of  Gordon  Hall,  who,  "in  case  all  other  means  of  getting  to  the  heathen  in 
Asia  should  fail,  was  ready  to  work  his  passage  to  India,  and  then  throw  him- 
self, under  Providence,  upon  his  own  resources,  that  he  might  preach  the  Gos- 
pel to  the  heathen."  It  was  feared  that  the  names  of  six  would  embarrass,  if 
not  defeat,  the  measure  contemplated. 


26  ORIGIN  OF  AMERICAN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS. 

creature.'  The  state  of  their  minds,  modestly  expressed  by 
the  theological  students  who  have  presented  themselves  before 
this  body,  and  the  testimonies  received  respecting  them,  are 
such  as  deeply  to  impress  the  conviction  that  they  ought  not 
to  renounce  the  object  of  missions,  but  sacredly  to  cherish  their 
present  views  in  relation  to  that  object ;  and  it  is  submitted 
whether  the  peculiar  and  abiding  impressions  by  which  they 
are  influenced  ought  not  to  be  gratefully  recognized  as  a  divine 
intimation  of  something  good  and  great  in  relation  to  the  propa- 
gation of  the  G-ospel,  and  calling  for  a  correspondent  attention 
and  exertion. 

"  Therefore,  voted,  That  there  be  instituted  by  this  General 
Association  a  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  for 
the  purpose  of  devising  ways  and  means,  and  adopting  and 
prosecuting  measures  for  promoting  the  spread  of  the  Grospel 
in  heathen  lands.  ^  *  *  *  * 

"  Voted,  That  fervently  commending  them  to  the  grace  of 
God,  we  advise  the  young  gentlemen,  whose  request  is  before 
us,  in  the  way  of  earnest  prayer  and  diligent  attention  to  suit- 
able studies  and  means  of  information,  and,  putting  themselves 
under  the  patronage  and  direction  of  the  Board  of  Commis- 
sioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  humbly  to  wait  the  openings  and 
guidance  of  Providence  in  respect  to  their  great  and  excellent 
design." 

Pursuant  to  the  report  of  the  committee,  the  Association 
proceeded  to  institute  a  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign 
Missions,  and  the  following  gentlemen  were  chosen :  His  Ex- 
cellency John  Treadwell,  Esq.,  Rev.  Dr.  Timothy  Dwight, 
G-en.  Jedidiah  Huntington,  and  Rev.  Calvin  Chapin,  of  Con- 
necticut;  Rev.  Dr.  Joseph  Lyman,  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Spring, 


ORIGiy  OF  AMERICAX  FOREIGy  MISSIOyS.  27 

AVilliam  Bartlet,  Esq.,  Rev.  Samuel  "Worcester,  and  Deacon 
Samuel  H.  Walley,  of  Massachusetts.          *         #         * 

"  On  the  fifth  of  the  ensuing  Septemher,  the  first  meeting 
of  the  Commissioners  was  held,  and  the  Board  was  fully  organ- 
ized. But  what  individual  who  took  part  in  those  inchoative 
deliberations  and  proceedings  had  any  adequate  anticipations 
of  the  magnitude  and  importance  to  which  they  would  grow?" 

After  the  most  careful  and  devout  deliberation,  the  Pruden- 
tial Committee  resolved,  in  January,  1812,  to  commence  a  mis- 
sion of  the  Board.  Five  ordained  missionaries,  three  of  them 
with  their  wives,  left  this  country  in  the  ensuing  month  of 
February.  It  was  a  time  of  almost  unexampled  distress  of 
nations  with  perplexity. 

The  first  letters  from  the  missionary  companies,  after  their 
arrival  in  Calcutta,  were  awaited  with  an  intense  expectation. 
Their  various  contents  awakened  no  common  emotions  of  min- 
gled joy  and  grief,  gratitude  and  anxiety. 

"  God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way 
His  wonders  to  perform." 

He  was  now  trying  the  friends  of  the  new  enterprise,  as  ^old  is 
tried;  was  preparing  the  way  for  new  developments  of  the  mis- 
sionary spirit  and  life  ;  and  was  bringing  rapidly  forward  great 
accessions  of  strength  to  the  cause  from  other  denominations 
of  American  Christians. 

The  change  of  sentiment  in  Messrs.  Judson  and  Rice,  on  the 
subject  of  baptism,  led  to  the  formation  of  the  American  Bap- 
tist Board  of 'Missions  in  1814.  Other  associations  followed ; 
and  but  a  few  years  had  elapsed  before  "  the  fact  was  prac- 
tically and  openly  admitted,  that  no  sect  or  denomination  of 


23  ORIGIN  OF  AMERICAy  FOREIcy  MISSIONS. 

Christians  can  sustain  a  reputation  for  Christian  consistency 
without  laboring  to  extend  the  Gospel  to  Pagan  lands."  The 
importance  of  this  admission,  now  so  general,  if  not  universal, 
it  would  be  scarcely  possible  to  exaggerate. 

Let  an  intelligent  Christian  look  back  to  1812.  From  that 
signalized  era  in  the  history  of  modern  missions,  let  him  begin 
to  trace  and  contemplate  the  movements,  scenes,  and  results 
of  the  last  forty  years.  What  amazing  progress !  How  in- 
spiring to  the  hopes  and  aims,  the  prayers  and  exertions,  the 
sacrifices  and  endurances  of  all  the  true  and  faithful  followers 
of  the  Creator  and  the  Crucified  !     "Not  unto  us,  0  Lord,  not 

UNTO  us,  BUT  UNTO  THY  NAME  GIVE  GLORY,  FOR  THY  MERCY  AND 
FOR    THY    truth's    SAKE  !" 

"  Come,  then,  and,  added  to  thy  many  crowns, 
Receive  yet  one — the  crown  of  all  the  earth — 
Thou  who  alone  art  worthy  !" 


ORDINATION  OF   THE   FIRST  AMERICAN  FOREIGN 
MISSIONARIE  S." 

BY    REV.    ASA    D.    SMITH,    D.D., 
New  York. 

X  HE  scene  thus  indicated  is  to  the  friend  of  missions  one 
of  deep  historic  interest.  Slowly  hut  steadily  had  the  spirit  of 
enlarged  Christian  philanthropy  heen  gaining  ground  in  the 
churches  ;  more  and  more  had  they  heen  coming  to  feel  that 
"  the  field  is  the  world."  The  American  Board  of  Commis- 
sioners for  Foreign  Missions  had  heen  formed.  Five  young 
men,  Samuel  Neavell,  Adoniram  Judson,  Samuel  Nott,  (cor- 
don Hall,  and  Luther  Rice,  had  been  formally  appointed  as 
missionaries  to  Asia ;  and  on  the  6th  of  February,  1812,  an 
ecclesiastical  council  assembled  in  Salem,  Massachusetts,  to 
set  them  apart  to  their  high  and  holy  work. 

This  council,  called  by  the  Prudential  Committee  of  the 
American  Board,  was  composed  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Spring, 
D.D.,  of  the  North  Congregational  Church  in  Newburyport; 
the  Rev.  Jedediah  Morse,  D.D.,  of  the  Congregational  Church 
in  Charlestown  ;  and  the  Rev.  Samuel  Worcester,  D.D.,  of  the 
Tabernacle  Church  in  Salem,  with  delegates  from  those 
churches ;  together  with  the  Rev.  Edward  D.  Griffin,  D.D., 
pastor  of  the  Park  Street  Church  in  Boston,  and  the  Rev. 
Leonard  "Woods,  D.D.,  professor  in  the  Andover  Theological 
Seminary.  The  Rev.  Professor  Moses  Stuart  was  also  invited, 
*  See  Frontispiece. 


30  ORDINATIOy  OF  THE 

but  was  unable  to  attend.  Of  those  who  participated  in  the 
ordination  scene,  but  two  are  now  numbered  with  the  living, 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Woods,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Nott. 

Great  was  the  interest  awakened  far  and  near  in  the  serv- 
ices of  the  occasion.  Now  was  to  be  realized  what  some  had 
regarded  as  a  dream  of  wild  enthusiasm,  and  others  had  cher- 
ished as  a  conception  divinely  originated.  That  day  was  to 
form,  as  was  well  said  in  the  Panoplist  by  the  heavenly-mind- 
ed and  clear-sighted  Mr.  Evarts,  "a  new  and  important  era  in 
the  annals  of  the  American  churches,  the  era  of  Foreign  Mis- 
sions." Though  the  weather  was  intensely  cold,  not  Salem 
alone,  but  all  the  surrounding  region,  was  largely  represented 
in  the  gatheriiig  crowd.  From  the  Theological  Seminary  at 
Andover,  some  sixteen  miles,  students  walked  to  the  place,  and 
returning  when  the  service  was  over,  deemed  themselves  well 
repaid  by  the  new  and  elevating  impressions  and  impulses  of 
the  occasion. 

The  preliminary  examination  of  the  candidates  accomplish- 
ed, and  the  decision  made  to  proceed  to  the  ordination,  the 
service  commenced  in  the  old  Tabernacle  church.  An  appro- 
priate place  it  was,  the  scene  of  the  labors  of  him  who,  from 
the  origin  of  the  new  missionary  movement,  had  been  among 
the  foremost  in  urging  it  on.  The  house  was  thronged  by  a 
congregation  deeply  solemn,  and  tenderly  and  powerfully  im- 
pressed by  all  the  exercises. 

The  great  heart  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  G-riffin  was  poured  out  in 
the  introductory  prayer.  The  sermon  was  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Woods.  His  text  was  nearly  the  whole  of  the  LXVII.  Psalm : 
"  God  be  merciful  unto  us,  and  bless  us ;  and  cause  his  face  to 
shine  upon  us.     That  thy  way  may  be  known  upon  earth,  thy 


FIRST  AMERICAN  FOREIGN  MISSIONARIES.  21 

saving  health  among  all  nations.  Let  the  people  praise  thee, 
0  Grod ;  let  all  the  people  praise  thee.  Let  the  nations  be 
glad  and  sing  for  joy.  Let  the  people  praise  thee,  0  God  ;  let 
all  the  people  praise  thee.  Then  shall  the  earth  yield  her  in- 
crease ;  and  Grod,  even  our  Grod,  shall  bless  us.  God  shall 
bless  us  ;  and  all  the  end?  of  the  earth  shall  fear  him."  The 
object  of  the  discourse  was  to  present  the  chief  motives  to  earn- 
est and  incessant  effort  for  the  conversion  of  the  world.  The 
considerations  he  urged  were,  the  worth  of  souls — the  plen- 
teousness  of  the  provisions  of  the  Gospel — the  command  of 
Christ — the  conduct  of  those  who  received  that  command,  and 
of  the  early  Christian  missionaries — the  adaptedness  of  Chris- 
tianity to  be  a  universal  religion — the  announcements  of  proph- 
ecy— and  the  operations  of  Divine  Providence  at  the  present 
time.  The  discourse  was  in  Dr.  Woods's  happiest  manner — 
simple,  direct,  weighty,  earnest,  persuasive — the  utterance  ob- 
viously of  one  who  had  caught  fully  the  spirit  of  the  occasion. 
From  his  address  to  the  candidates  we  quote  the  following 
paragraph : 

"  Dear  young  men,  I  will  not  break  your  hearts  and  my  own 
by  dwelling  on  the  affecting  circumstances  of  this  parting  scene. 
If  you  must  go,  I  will  animate  and  comfort  you.  Remember, 
then,  though  we  must  leave  you,  He  whom  your  soul  loveth 
will  not.  The  God  you  will  worship  on  the  plains  of  Hindos- 
tan  will  be  the  same  God  whom  you  have  here  worshiped  in 
our  seminary,  in  the  sanctuary,  and  in  the  closet.  The  Savior 
whom  you  will  adore  and  trust  in  there  will  be  the  very  Sav- 
ior whose  glory  you  have  seen,  and  of  whose  fullness  you  have 
received  here.  Go,  then,  dear  missionaries,  with  the  partners 
of  your  life,  the  objects  of  your  tenderest  affection  ;  and  may 


32*  ORDINATION  OF  THE 

God  Almighty  be  your  Preserver.  G-o,  and  remember  you  are 
not  your  own.  Go,  and  '  declare  the  glory  of  the  Lord  among 
the  heathen,  his  wonders  among  all  people.'  Esteem  the  re- 
proach of  Christ  greater  riches  than  all  the  wealth  of  India. 
The  parents  and  friends  you  leave  behind  will  never,  never  for- 
get you,  till  their  hearts  are  cold  in  death.  Our  earnest  affec- 
tions and  prayers  will  constantly  attend  you.  We  shall  share 
with  you  in  every  peril  you  will  encounter  by  sea  and  by  land. 
All  the  success  you  obtain,  and  all  the  joy  you  partake,  will  be 
ours.  Every  sorrow  that  melts  you,  and  every  pang  that  dis- 
tresses you,  will  also  be  ours.  We  shall  often  meet  you  at  the 
mercy-seat,  where  you  and  we  may  find  grace  to  help  in  time 
of  need.  You  will  be  as  dear  to  our  hearts,  and  as  near  to 
God  and  to  heaven,  in  Asia  as  in  America.  If  we  are  friends 
of  God,  our  separation  will  not  be  forever.  At  the  glorious  ap- 
pearing of  the  Son  of  God,  we  hope  to  see  you,  dearly  beloved, 
and  those  whom  your  labors  may  rescue  from  Pagan  darkness, 
at  his  right  hand.  The  God  of  mercy  grant  that  we  may  then 
join  with  you,  and  with  a  great  multitude  which  no  man  can 
number,  of  all  nations,  and  kindreds,  and  people,  azid  tongues, 
who  will  stand  before  the  throne  and  before  the  Lamb,  and  cry 
with  a  loud  voice,  saying,  Salvation  to  our  God,  who  sitteth  on 
the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb.  With  this  joyful  anticipa- 
tion, I  do,  my  dear  friends,  cheerfully  and  most  affectionately, 
bid  you  farewell." 

Then  came  the  consecrating  prayer,  offered  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Morse.  At  this,  the  culminating  point  of  the  whole  scene, 
the  engraver's  art  comes  to  our  aid.  We  behold  the  interior 
of  that  old  sanctuary,  so  endeared  to  the  lover  of  missions  by 
the  hallowed  memories  which  must  ever  cluster  around  it. 


FIRST  AMERICAN  FOREIGN  MISSIONARIES.  33 

The  crowd  are  there,  filling  pew  and  aisle  below,  and  gazing 
eagerly  from  the  gallery.  They  have  reverently  risen,  accord- 
ing to  the  old  Puritan  custom  ;  and  what  a  mingled  multitude 
do  we  see — the  man  of  gray  hairs,  and  the  little  child ;  the 
grave  matron  with  the  air  of  wealth  and  social  elevation,  and 
the  mother  of  humbler  condition,  who,  that  she  may  not  lose 
so  rare  and  precious  a  privilege,  has  brought,  through  the  win- 
ter's cold,  her  babe  from  its  cradle.  There  is  no  exaggeration, 
we  are  sure,  even  in  the  fanciful  filling  up  of  the  picture.  The 
five  clerical  members  of  the  council  stand  before  us,  drawn  to 
the  life — the  Rev.  Dr.  Morse  on  the  left ;  then  the  Rev.  Drs. 
Grriffin,  Spring,  Woods,  and  Worcester,  in  the  order  in  which 
we  have  named  them.  Before  them,  in  devotional  posture, 
are  the  five  young  men  whom  they  are  solemnly  setting  apart 
to  the  missionary  work.  It  is  always  a  touching  sight  to  see  a 
youthful  candidate  for  the  ministry  kneel  amid  the  Presbytery 
for  "  the  laying  on  of  hands."  What  a  work  is  that  he  assumes ! 
What  mingled  hopes  and  fears  cluster  in  his  heart !  What  mo- 
mentous consequences,  both  as  to  himsejf  and  others,  are  con- 
nected inevitably  with  the  step  he  is  taking !  Well  may  he  say, 
"Who  is  sufficient  for  these  things?"  But  what  superadded 
pathos  is  there  in  the  sight  of  those  five  kneeling  missionaries ! 
Not  to  a  quiet  New  England  parish  are  they  to  go,  but  to  those 
dark  places  of  the  earth  where  "  Satan's  seat  is."  From  the 
prospect  of  comfortable  and  successful  labor  here,  moved  by 
compassion  for  the  perishing,  they  have  turned  away.  The 
ties  of  kindred  they  are  to  sever — they  are  to  bid  farewell  to  all 
the  goodly  and  pleasant  things  of  their  native  land — over  the 
great  and  wide  sea  they  are  to  pass.  Yea,  they  are  to  go  out 
like  Abraham  of  old ,  not  knowing  whither ;   like  the   great 

C 


34  ORDINATION  OF  THE 

Apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  ignorant  of  the  things  which  shall  be- 
fall them.  Amid  strangers  in  a  strange  land,  they  expect  to 
breathe  their  last,  and  to  find  for  all  that  is  mortal  of  them  a 
final  resting-place.  Nor  turn  the  sympathetic  hearts  of  that 
vast  audience  to  them  alone,  armed  for  trial  as  they  are,  not 
by  faith  merely,  but  by  the  vigor  of  stalwart  manhood.  With 
the  lot  of  those  missionaries  the  gentle  heart  of  woman  is 
linked.  Harriet  Atwood  is  there,  and  Ann  Hasseltine. 
They  who  have  long  been  bound  together  by  the  ties  of  affec- 
tionate companionship,  who,  on  the  banks  of  the  Merrimack, 
have  communed  often  with  each  other  concerning  their  com- 
mon Savior ;  thei/  have  come,  in  the  bloom  of  their  youth,  to 
behold  the  consecration  of  the  chosen  companions  of  their  fu- 
ture lives — to  make  anew  their  own  consecration  to  the  service 
of  Christ  in  a  Pagan  clime.  From  home,  and  friends,  and  na- 
tive land,  they  too  are  about  to  part ;  the  perils  of  the  ocean 
they  are  to  meet,  and  the  more  appalling  perils  of  the  region 
of  the  shadow  of  death.  They  have  no  long  line  of  precedents 
before  them ;  pioneers  they  are — ^the  first-fruits  unto  God  from 
our  land  of  missionary  zeal  in  the  gentler  sex.  It  is  no  wonder 
that  one  well  qualified  to  testify  speaks  of  "  the  solemn  grand- 
eur" of  the  occasion,  of  "  the  irrepressible  sighing  and  weeping 
aloud  of  many,-'  and  of  the  "  tears  which  could  not  be  wept." 

The  "  charge,"  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Spring,  was  eminently  appro- 
priate, solemn,  and  impressive.  We  make  the  following  ex- 
tracts from  it : 

"We  need  not  remind  you  that  the  object  and  the  conse- 
quences of  your  mission  are  inestimably  important,  both  to 
you,  the  Church,  and  a  multitude  of  souls.  No  enterprise  com- 
parable to  this  has  been  embraced  by  the  American  Church. 


FIRST  AMERICAN  FOREIGN  MISSIONARIES.  3^5 

All  others  retire  before  it  like  the  stars  before  the  rising  sun. 
The  success  of  the  mission,  we  know,  depends  upon  the  general 
aid  of  divine  Providence  and  God's  special  grace.  If  this  is 
the  appointed  time  for  Christ  to  have  the  heathen  of  Asia  for 
his  inheritance,  or  only  to  prepare  the  way  for  his  glory  in  that 
extensive  region  of  Pagan  darkness  and  ignorance,  the  mission 
will  probably  be  crowned  with  success.  But  you  know,  my 
friends,  from  your  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  history  of 
missionary  exertions,  that  much  depends  upon  the  wisdom  and 
fidelity  of  the  missionaries.  Though  the  conversion  of  heathens 
is  the  special  work  of  G-od,  yet  we  must  remember  that  he  ex- 
pects the  concurrence  of  faithful  and  able  ministers  of  the  Gos- 
pel. God  does  not  operate  alone  ;  and  as  no  miracles  are  ex- 
pected, the  poor  ignorant  heathen  will  be  lost,  unless  season- 
ably instructed  with  line  upon  line,  precept  upon  precept,  here 
a  little  and  there  a  little,  by  faithful  and  discreet  missionaries. 
How  vast,  then,  your  obligations  to  help  the  Lord  with  all  your 
might !  The  object  you  have  embraced  is  unspeakably  great; 
you  feel  the  pressure  of  it  when  you  lie  down  and  when  you 
rise  up ;  but  the  motives  to  encourage  and  support  your  trem- 
bling hearts  are  answerably  great.  God  has  already  begun  his 
glorious  work  in  the  East.  The  morning-star  has  appeared, 
and  indicates  the  near  approach  of  the  rising  sun.  God  ivill, 
his  praying  children  believe,  succeed  and  prosper  the  mission. 
You  will  go  under  the  guidance  of  Christ,  the  Almighty  Savior, 
and  will  be  supported  by  his  right  hand.  God  will  not  forsake 
you,  unless  you  forsake  him. 

^  ^  M,  M.  M.  ^  ^  ^  M,  4£, 

•7?  TV'  •TV'  "J^  TP  •TV'  'A*  ^  •??•  TT" 

"  Go,  then,  with  the  tender  companions  of  your  bosoms,  like 
pilgrims  and  strangers,  and  lay  your  bodies  by  the  side  of  Zie- 


gg  ORDINATION  OF  THE 

genbalg  and  Swartz,  that  you  may  meet  them,  and  Eliot,  and 
Brainerd,  and  all  other  faithful  missionaries,  in  the  realms  of 
light,  and  so  be  ever  with  the  Lord.  "We,  in  the  mean  time, 
will  pray  that  the  salvation  of  souls  may  be  your  joy  and  crown 
of  rejoicing  in  the  day  of  the  Lord." 

The  "  right  hand  of  fellowship,"  by  Dr.  Worcester,  was  mark- 
ed by  his  characteristic  felicity  of  diction,  comprehensiveness, 
and  tenderness.  One  or  two  extracts  will  not  only  show  the 
spirit  of  this  particular  exercise,  but,  in  connection  with  the 
quotations  already  made,  will  aid  in  giving  a  just  and  vivid 
impression  of  the  whole  service  : 

"  Gro,  then,  beloved  brethren,  as  '  the  messengers  of  these 
'  Churches,  and  the  glory  of  Christ' — go,  carry  to  the  poor  hea- 
then the  good  news  of  pardon,  peace,  and  eternal  life.  Tell 
them  of  the  God  whom  we  adore  ;  of  the  Savior  in  whom  we 
trust ;  of  the  glorious  immortality  for  which  we  hope.  Tell 
them  of  Him  whose  star  was  seen  in  the  East,  and  point  them 
to  that  blood  with  which  he  will  sprinkle  many  nations. 

"We  participate  with  you  in  this  great  undertaking;  our 
hearts  are  joined  with  yours,  and  by  the  right  hand  which  we 
give  you  we  shall  hold  ourselves  inviolably  pledged,  as  Grod 
shall  enable  us,  for  your  help.  We  are  not  insensible  to  the 
sacrifices  which  you  make,  or  to  the  dangers  and  sufferings  to 
which  you  are  devoted.  You  stand  this  day  'a  spectacle  to 
God,  to  angels,  and  to  men.'  You  are  in  the  act  of  leaving 
parents,  and  friends,  and  country,  '  for  Christ  and  the  Gospel's 
sake.'  A  land  of  darkness  and  of  the  shadow  of  death  is  before 
you  ;  and  you  are  to  erect  the  standard  of  the  cross  where  Satan 
has  long  held  his  cruel  and  bloody  empire.  Your  eyes  will  be 
pained  with  sights  of  revolting  impurity  and  horror ;  your  hearts 


FIRST  AMERICAN  FOREIGN  MISSIONARIES.  ^n 

will  be  wrung  with  anguish  for  immortal  souls  in  the  most 
dreadful  bondage  ;  and  while  you  strive  for  their  rescue,  you 
will  have  to  contend,  not  with  flesh  and  blood,  but  with  prin- 
cipalities and  powers,  with  the  rulers  of  the  darkness  of  this 
world,  with  spiritual  wickedness  in  high  places.  But  you  go, 
we  trust,  in  the  strength  of  the  Lord  ;  and  the  weapons  of  your 
warfare  '  are  not  carnal,  but  mighty  through  God  to  the  pull- 
ing down  of  strong-holds,  casting  down  imaginations,  and  ever  7 
high  thing  that  exalte th  itself  against  the  knowledge  of  God  ' 
This  is  our  confidence,  this  is  our  consolation  respecting  you. 

"  Beloved  brethren,  be  of  good  courage ;  go  in  peace ;  an  I 
may  the  Lord  God  of  the  holy  apostles  and  prophets  go  wit  1 
you.  "We  commend  you  to  him,  and  to  the  word  of  his  grace ; 
and  devoutly  pray  that,  in  the  day  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  we  may 
have  the  happiness  to  see  you  present  many  of  the  heathen  be- 
fore the  throne  of  his  glory  with  exceeding  joy." 

Never,  perhaps,  were  ordination  services  in  more  perfect 
keeping  with  the  occasion.  Nothing  was  commonplace — 
nothing  merely  perfunctory.  Every  thing  had  an  air  of  con- 
scientiousness, directness,  and  earnestness,  indicating  most 
clearly  a  deep  sense  of  the  seriousness  and  magnitude  of  the 
work  in  hand.  We  feel  ourselves,  as  we  read,  carried  back  to 
the  heroic  ages  of  the  Church — ^to  the  patriarchal  times,  and 
the  days  of  martyrdom. 

"  The  events  of  that  day,"  says  the  Rev.  Dr.  Woods,  "  stirred 
up  the  feelings  of  our  religious  community  from  the  depths  of 
the  heart.  The  intense  excitement  spread  rapidly  through 
New  England,  and  all  the  states,  and  extended  to  other  lands. 
But  strong  as  the  excitement  was,  it  would  have  been  im- 


gg  ORDINATION,   ETC. 

measurably  increased  had  we  in  any  measure  foreseen  to  what 
results  that  day  of  small  things  would  lead ;  had  we  antici- 
pated that,  before  the  lapse  of  fifty  years,  our  foreign  mission- 
aries would  have  been  raised  to  so  large  a  number,  and  would 
occupy  so  many  stations  in  different  and  far  distant  countries, 
and  that  our  hearts  would  be  comforted  and  rejoiced  by  so 
nmch  success."  Higher  still,  we  may  add,  would  have  been 
the  gladness  of  all  the  participants  in  those  solemn  services, 
could  they  have  foreseen  the  results  which  are  yet  to  be  de- 
veloped— results  reaching  to  all  nations,  and  stretching  over 
the  whole  course  of  earth's  coming  history — of  that  first  ordina- 
tion of  American  Foreign  Missionaries. 


REV.  GORDON   HALL, 

AMERICAN    BOARD    OF    COMMISSIONERS    FOR    FOREIGN    MISSIONS. 

BY    REV.    BENNET    TYLER,    D.D., 
East  Windsor,  Conn. 

tjrORDON  HALL  was  born  in  that  part  of  Grranville  which 
is  now  Tolland,  Massachusetts,  April  8th,  1781.  His  parents 
removed  from  Ellington,  Connecticut,  and  were  among  the  ear- 
ly settlers  of  the  town  of  Granville.  Though  in  the  humble 
walks  of  life,  they  were  highly  respected  for  their  industry,  so- 
briety, and  correct  moral  habits.  They  seem,  however,  to  have 
lacked  the  one  thing  needfl^l  till  somewhat  advanced  in  life. 

Young  Hall  did  not  enjoy  the  prayers  and  pious  counsels  of 
godly  parents  ;  but  it  is  believed  that  his  morals  were  strictlv 


Fac  Simile,  from  Letter  to  Samuel  J.  Mills,  dated  Bombay,  July  12th,  1816. 


C9  /t^-if-'?^    X^^-^-^-^^^     -y'^^tst--^     /^C^ 


e<5 — 


^tc^  o^  ^:^c.^-^7^r^~^^  -  -e^^c^e^i^. 


-^•::g(S-^^-^?^g^Tirz^       ^^J-L^A^      /^'<^    U^Uy:^d<^z<t.  A 


a/C-. 


A2  REV.  GORDON  HALL 

guarded ;  and  it  is  not  known  that  he  fell  into  any  vicious 
habits.  While  a  child,  he  was  remarkable  for  his  activity  and 
enterprise.  His  talents  and  independence  of  mind  command- 
ed the  respect  and  deference  of  his  associates,  and  he  was  al- 
ways the  leader  in  their  various  sports.  In  early  youth  he  man- 
ifested quite  a  taste  for  mechanical  employments,  and  exhibit- 
ed no  small  degree  of  ingenuity  in  the  construction  of  various 
kinds  of  machines.  In  this  way  he  spent  many  of  his  hours 
of  leisure  and  relaxation  from  the  labors  of  the  farm. 

He  early  discovered  a  taste  for  reading,  and  also  for  writing ; 
in  the  latter  of  which  he  greatly  excelled,  considering  his  age 
and  the  disadvantages  under  which  he  labored.  He  is  said  to 
have  possessed  in  a  high  degree  a  talent  and  taste  for  sarcastic 
writing,  and  to  have  indulged  in  it  quite  freely  in  college  be- 
fore he  became  pious.  Afterward  this  propensity  was  kept 
under  due  restraint. 

He  labored  on  his  father's  farm  till  the  nineteenth  or  twen- 
tieth year  of  his  age,  when,  at  his  earnest  solicitation,  his  father 
consented  that  he  should  attempt  to  obtain  a  liberal  education. 
He  fitted  for  college  under  the  tuition  of  his  pastor,  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Harrison,  and  entered  Williams  College,  February,  1805, 
at  the  beginning  of  the  second  term  of  the  freshman  year.  He 
took  a  high  stand  as  a  scholar,  and  graduated  in  1808  with 
the  first  honors  of  his  class. 

His  attention  was  seriously  called  to  the  concerns  of  his 
soul  near  the  close  of  his  second  year  in  college ;  but  he  did 
not  find  peace  in  believing  till  the  commencement  of  his  third 
year.  From  the  time  of  his  conversion,  his  piety  was  of  a 
very  decided  character.  It  was  the  testimony  of  one  of  his 
fellow-students,  that  "as  a  Christian  he  was  uniform,  con- 


REV.  GORDON  HALL.  ^3 

sistent,  decided,  and  influential.  He  took  a  leading  part  in 
the  religious  exercises  of  the  students  in  the  Theological  So- 
ciety and  prayer  meetings." 

Soon  after  he  became  pious,  he  formed  an  intimate  acquaint- 
ance with  Samuel  J.  Mills,  who  was  two  years  his  junior  in 
college.  It  was  to  G-ordon  Hall  and  James  Richards  that 
Mills  first  unbosomed  his  missionary  purposes,  and  in  both  he 
found  a  spirit  congenial  with  his  own.  It  is  not  known,  how- 
ever, that  Hall  openly  avowed  his  purpose  to  become  a  mis- 
sionary to  the  heathen  till  after  he  left  college. 

In  the  autumn  of  1808,.  soon  after  he  graduated,  he  com- 
menced the  study  of  theology  under  the  instruction  of  the  Rev 
Ebenezer  Porter,  then  pastor  of  the  church  in  "Washington, 
Connecticut,  afterward  President  and  Professor  of  Sacred 
Rhetoric  in  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Andover,  Massa- 
chusetts. He  was  licensed  to  preach  in  the  autumn  of  1809. 
He  was  soon  after  invited  to  supply  the  pulpit  in  Woodbury, 
Connecticut.  He  continued  here  several  months,  and  received 
a  call  from  the  Church  and  society  to  become  their  pastor. 
The  place  was  an  eligible  one.  The  unanimity  and  strong 
attachment  of  the  people  gave  great  promise  of  usefulness. 
But  "  then,"  as  was  remarked  afterward  by  his  theological  in- 
structor, "  the  heart  of  the  missionary  came  out.  Then  was 
revealed  the  secret  so  long  cherished  between  him  and  his  be- 
loved brother  Mills.  To  many  it  seemed  a  visionary  thing  in 
Mr.  Hall,  that  he  should  decline  an  invitation  to  settle  attend- 
ed with  so  many  attractive  circumstances  and  so  much  pros- 
pect of  usefulness.  But  I  can  never  forget  with  what  a  glis- 
tening eye  and  firm  accent  this  youthful  pioneer  of  foreign 
missions,  full  of  faith  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  said,  '  No — I  must 


44  REV.  GORDON  HALL. 

not  settle  in  any  parish  in  Christendom.'  "  He  afterward  re- 
ceived a  call  to  settle  in  Pittsfield,  Massachusetts,  which  he 
promptly  declined,  as  he  had  done  the  one  at  "Woodbury,  and 
for  the  same  reason. 

In  the  spring  of  1810,  he  joined  the  seminary  at  Andover, 
where  he  spent  three  months.  There,  with  Mills,  and  Richards, 
and  other  kindred  spirits,  his  missionary  plans  were  more  ma- 
tured. 

In  the  course  of  this  year,  the  American  Board  of  Commis- 
sioners for  Foreign  Missions  was  organized.  The  first  mis- 
sionaries sent  out  by  this  Board  'Were  Messrs.  Hall,  Newell, 
Nott,  Judson,  and  Rice.  As  some  time  was  needed  to  make 
suitable  preparations  and  obtain  the  requisite  funds,  they  were 
not  sent  till  February,  1812.  They  were  ordained  at  Salem 
on  the  6th  of  that  month.  Messrs.  Judson  and  Newell  sailed 
from  Salem  on  the  19th,  and  Messrs.  Hall,  Nott,  and  Rice  from 
Philadelphia  on  the  18th  of  the  same  month.  "What  would  be 
the  particular  field  of  their  labor  was  uncertain.  The  Pruden- 
tial Committee,  in  their  instructions,  said,  "  From  the  best 
views  we  have  been  able  to  obtain,  our  desire  is  that  the  seat 
of  your  mission  should  be  in  some  part  of  the  Burman  Empire. 
After  your  arrival  in  India,  however,  you  will  make  it  an  ob- 
ject to  avail  yourself  of  information  relating  to  that  empire, 
and  also  to  other  parts  of  the  East ;  and  after  due  deliberation, 
you  will  be  at  your  discretion  as  to  the  place  where  to  make 
your  station." 

Messrs.  Newell  and  Judson  arrived  at  Calcutta  on  the  17th 
of  June ;  Messrs.  Hall,  Nott,  and  Rice  on  the  8th  of  August, 
1812. 

Soon  after  their  arrival,  Messrs.  Newell  and  Judson  received 


REV.  GORDOX  HA  LL.  ^^ 

an  order  from  the  government  requiring  them  to  return  to 
this  country  by  the  same  ship  in  which  they  came  out.  But 
through  the  influence  of  friends  this  order  was  modified,  and 
liberty  was  granted  them  to  depart  to  any  place  not  within  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  East  India  Company. 

On  the  4th  of  August,  Mr.  Newell  and  his  wife  sailed  for 
the  Isle  of  France,  expecting  that  Mr.  Judson  would  soon  fol- 
low them.  Four  days  after  their  departure,  Messrs.  Hall, 
Nott,  and  Rice  arrived  at  Calcutta.  Not  being  permitted  by 
the  government  to  remain,  they  too  resolved  to  return  to  the 
Isle  of  France.  They  were,  however,  detained  till  the  latter 
part  of  November.  During  this  interval  a  painful  separation 
occurred  among  the  missionaries.  Messrs.  Judson  and  Rice, 
having  adopted  the  sentiments  of  the  Baptists,  withdrew  them- 
selves irom  the  care  and  direction  of  the  Board  which  had  sent 
them  out.  This  event,  though  trying  in  itself,  was  overruled 
for  the  furtherance  of  the  Grospel.  It  led  to  the  establishment 
of  the  Baptist  Board  of  Missions  in  this  country,  by  which  great 
good  has  been  accomplished. 

Messrs.  Hall  and  Nott,  instead  of  going  to  the  Isle  of  France, 
as  they  had  intended,  embarked  for  Bombay.  They  were  in- 
duced to  take  this  course  by  the  fact  that  the  new  governor 
of  Bombay,  Sir  Evan  Nepean,  was  understood  to  be  a  friend  to 
Christian  missions.  They  arrived  at  Bombay,  February  11th, 
1813.  Here  they  met  with  embarrassments  which  would  have 
appalled  and  utterly  discouraged  the  heart  of  almost  any 
man  but  that  of  Gordon  Hall.  The  Governor  of  Bombay, 
although  personally  friendly  to  them  and  their  object,  felt  him- 
self compelled,  by  peremptory  orders  from  the  Governor  General 
at  Calcutta,  to  send  them  to  England  ;  and  it  was  not  till  after 


46  REV.  GORDON  HALL. 

they  had  presented  several  memorials  to  the  governor  that  they 
were  permitted  to  remain.  These  memorials,  which  were 
written  hy  Mr.  Hall,  exhibit  great  talent  and  wisdom.  The 
last,  in  particular,  is  a  very  able  document,  and  evinces  a 
spirit  allied  to  that  of  apostles  and  martyrs.  It  contains  an 
appeal  to  the  governor's  conscience  which  he  was  unable  to  re- 
sist, and  which  induced  him  to  repeal  the  order  which  required 
them  to  depart  for  England.  Being  permitted  to  remain,  they 
commenced  their  missionary  labors,  in  which  Mr.  Hall  perse- 
vered with  untiring  diligence  until  his  death. 

On  the  19th  of  December,  1816,  Mr.  Hall  was  married  to 
Miss  Margaret  Lewis,  an  English  lady,  who  had  been  some 
years  in  Bombay.  By  her  he  had  two  sons  and  two  daughters. 
The  youngest  son  is  the  only  surviving  child,  and  is  now  pas- 
tor of  a  church  in  Northampton,  Massachusetts.* 

In  July,  1825,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hall  were  called  to  a  severe 
trial.  The  health  of  their  two  sons  was  such  that,  in  the  judg- 
ment of  skillful  physicians,  the  preservation  of  their  lives  was 
impossible  in  the  climate  of  Bombay.  It  was  concluded,  there- 
fore, with  the  approbation  of  all  the  brethren  of  the  mission, 
that  it  was  expedient  that  Mrs.  Hall  and  her  two  children 
should  embark  for  America.  It  was  her  expectation,  after  pro- 
curing some  suitable  place  for  her  sons,  where  they  could  ex- 
perience parental  care  and  receive  a  Christian  education,  to 
return  as  speedily  as  possible,  and  join  her  husband  in  the 
labors  of  the  mission.  But  this  expectation  was  blasted  by  his 
lamented  death,  which  occurred  about  eight  months  after  her 
departure. 

*  The  two  daughters  died  in  infancy.  The  oldest  son  died  on  the  voyage  to 
this  country. 


REV.  GORDON  HALL.  An 

Mr.  Hall  possessed  a  firm  and  vigorous  constitution,  and 
was  able  to  perform  labors  and  to  endure  hardships  to  which 
few  are  adequate.  He  was  actively  engaged  in  the  duties  of 
the  mission  till  March  20th,  1826,  when  he  died  of  the  cholera 
at  Doorlee-D'hapoor,  on  the  continent,  nearly  a  hundred  miles 
east  of  Bombay.  He  was  on  an  itinerating  tour  among  the 
natives.  Immediately  after  he  was  attacked  by  the  disease, 
he  told  the  two  Christian  lads  who  were  with  him  as  attend- 
ants, that  he  should  not  recover.  He  gave  them  in  charge, 
for  his  friends  in  Bombay,  his  watch,  clothes,  &c.,  and  direct- 
ed them  how  to  dispose  of  his  body  after  his  decease.  He 
then  addressed  himself  to  those  who  were  around  him,  exhort- 
ing them  to  embrace  Jesus  Christ,  the  Savior  of  sinners — 
prayed  repeatedly  for  his  dear  family,  the  members  of  the  mis- 
sions, and  the  poor  heathen  around  him.  With  holy  exulta- 
tion, he  thrice  repeated  Grlory  to  thee,  0  God !  and  expired. 
Thus,  at  the  age  of  forty-five,  in  the  midst  of  his  usefulness, 
was  cut  down  this  distinguished  pioneer  of  American  missions. 
But  if  his  life  was  short,  it  was  full  of  usefulness.  Few  men 
have  accomplished  more  for  the  heathen  than  Gordon  Hall. 
His  influence  in  awakening  a  missionary  spirit  in  the  Amer- 
ican churches  was  great  and  extensive,  and  the  full  results  of 
his  labors  will  not  be  known  till  all  things  shall  be  disclosed 
at  the  judgment  day. 

The  character  of  Mr.  Hall  as  a  missionary  is  worthy  of  ad- 
iniration  and  of  imitation.  He  possessed  in  an  eminent  degree 
the  true  missionary  spirit.  His  talents,  which  were  evidently 
of  a  high  order,  were  consecrated  to  the  service  of  Christ.  The 
objects  of  worldly  ambition  seem  to  have  had  no  charms  for 
him.     He  looked  not  at  things  which  are  seen,  and  temporal, 


^g  REV.  GORDOJS^  HALL. 

but  at  those  things  which  are  not  seen,  and  which  are  eternal. 
Had  he  chosen  a  secular  calling,  he  would  probably  have  risen 
to  distinction,  and  have  acquired  wealth  and  fame  ;  but,  like 
Moses,  he  esteemed  the  reproach  of  Christ  greater  riches  than 
all  the  treasures  of  this  world,  and  chose  rather  to  suffer  afflic- 
tion with  the  people  of  G-od  than  to  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  sin 
for  a  season. 

His  piety  was  deep,  ardent,  and  consistent.  It  was  not  fit- 
ful and  spasmodic,  manifesting  itself  at  times  in  high  emotion 
and  fiery  zeal,  and  then  subsiding  into  great  spiritual  apathy 
and  sloth.  It  was  a  steady  flame  which  shone  brighter  and 
brighter,  and  never  went  out.  It  was  a  living  spring,  which 
never  failed,  even  in  a  time  of  drought.  It  was  a  fixed  princi- 
ple in  the  heart,  which  had  a  steady  and  commanding  influence 
over  the  whole  course  of  his  life.  He  was  not  zealous  in  some 
things,  and  indifferent  to  others  of  equal  or  greater  importance. 
There  was  a  beautiful  symmetry  in  his  Christian  character.  In 
him  all  the  Christian  graces  shone,  and  combined  to  form  a 
character  of  peculiar  loveliness.  He  was  meek,  humble,  pray- 
erful, submissive,  patient,  strong  in  faith,  steadfast,  immova- 
ble, always  abounding  in  the  work  of  the  Lord. 

His  views  of  divine  truth  were  thoroughly  evangelical. 
They  are  very  happily  expressed  in  the  creed  which  he  pre- 
sented to  the  Directors  of  the  London  Missionary  Society,  at 
the  time  when  he  had  some  thoughts  of  putting  himself  under 
their  direction.     He  was  rooted  and  grounded  in  the  truth. 

His  mind  was  deeply  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel 
— that  spirit  by  which  the  great  Apostle  of  the  G-entiles  was 
actuated.  Like  him,  his  heart  was  warm  with  love  to  Christ, 
and  to  the  souls  of  men ;  and  he  was  willing  to  spend  and  be 


REV.  GORDON  HALL.  ^Q 

spent  in  the  service  of  his  divine  Master.  The  condition  of  a 
world  lying  in  wretchedness  lay  constantly,  with  great  weight, 
on  his  mind,  and  no  sacrifices  appeared  to  him  too  great  to 
make,  if  he  might  be  instrumental  in  the  salvation  of  souls. 
He  was  willing  to  part  with  friends  and  all  the  endearments 
of  home,  and  to  encounter  perils  and  hardships  that  he  might 
carry  the  Grospel  to  the  perishing  heathen.  Trials,  privations, 
and  sufferings  did  not  daunt  him.  "Others,"  said  he,  "will 
be  left  whose  health  or  pre-engagements  require  them  to  stay 
at  home  ;  but  I  can  sleep  on  the  ground,  and  endure  hunger 
and  hardship.  Grod  calls  me  to  the  heathen.  "Woe  to  me  if  I 
preach  not  the  Gospel  to  the  heathen." 

Mr.  Hall  was  a  man  of  great  faithfulness  and  moral  courage. 
He  was  not  afraid  to  do  his  duty.  The  fear  of  Clod  had  such 
a  controlling  influence  over  his  mind,  that  it  raised  him  above 
that  fear  of  man  which  bringeth  a  snare.  His  letters,  address- 
ed to  different  individuals,  while  they  exhibit  great  kindness, 
are  also  characterized  by  great  plainness  and  fidelity.  To  a 
man  from  whom  he  had  received  a  letter  which  betrayed  ig- 
norance of  the  fundamental  truths  of  the  G-ospel,  and  opposi- 
tion of  heart  to  the  cause  of  missions,  he  thus  writes  :  "  Dear 
sir,  on  Saturday  last  I  received  your  letter.  I  have  read  it 
over  and  over,  and,  believe  me,  I  have  read  it  with  pain*in  my 
heart  and  tears  in  my  eyes.  Do  you  ask  '  why  this  distress  ?' 
Give  me  leave  to  be  plain,  and  I  will  tell  you.  One  princi- 
pal reason,  dear  sir,  is  because  I  see  you  are  not  a  friend  to 
Christ.  But,  so  far  from  this,  you  have  such  views  of  his 
atoning  blood,  of  the  exceeding  riches  of  his  grace,  and  of  the 
nature  of  his  Gospel,  that  you  think  it  unnecessary,  unwise, 
and  unrighteous  for  men  to  go  through  trials  that  they  may 

D 


rn  REV.  GORDON  HALL. 

carry  the  proclamation  of  pardon  and  eternal  life  to  the  perish- 
ing heathen.  *  *  *  You  and  I,  sir,  must  soon  meet  in 
judgment.  Knowing  this,  I  dare  not  write  you  without  using 
great  plainness  of  speech  and  solemn  entreaties.  I  trust  it  is 
from  love  to  your  soul."  The  same  spirit  of  affectionate  fidelity 
pervades  the  whole  letter. 

The  letters  to  his  parents  and  relatives  manifest  the  deepest 
solicitude  for  their  spiritual  and  eternal  welfare.  While  they 
are  respectful  and  kind,  they  are  exceedingly  plain  and  search- 
ing. They  were  evidently  written  with  the  great  realities  of 
eternity  full  in  his  view. 

But  the  memorials  addressed  to  the  Grovernor  of  Bombay 
are  specimens  of  fidelity  and  moral  courage  rarely  to  be  met 
with.  Having  been  ordered  to  leave  the  country,  and  finding 
all  efforts  to  effect  a  change  in  the  governor's  purpose  unavail- 
ing, on  the  eve  of  their  departure,  as  they  supposed,  Mr.  Hall, 
and  his  associate  Mr.  Nott,  presented  their  last  memorial, 
which  closes  in  this  solemn  manner.  "It  is  our  ardent  wish 
that  your  excellency  would  compare,  most  seriously,  such  an 
exercise  of  civil  authority  upon  us,  with  the  general  spirit  and 
tenor  of  our  Savior's  commands.  We  most  earnestly  entreat 
you  not  to  send  us  away  from  the  heathen.  *  *  *  "We 
entreat  you,  by  the  time  and  money  already  expended  on  our 
mission,  and  by  the  Christian  hopes  and  prayers  attending  it, 
not  utterly  to  defeat  its  pious  object  by  sending  us  from  the 
country.  We  entreat  you  by  the  spiritual  miseries  of  the 
heathen,  who  are  daily  perishing  before  your  eyes  and  under 
your  excellency's  government,  not  to  prevent  us  from  preach- 
ing Christ  to  them.  We  entreat  you  by  the  blood  of  Jesus, 
which  he  shed  to  redeem  them.     As  ministers  of  Him  who 


REV.  GORDON  HALL.  g]^ 

has  all  po\yer  in  heaven  and  on  earth,  and  who,  with  hisj  fare- 
well and  ascending  voice,  commanded  his  ministers  to  g-o  and 
teach  all  nations,  we  entreat  you  not  to  prohibit  us  from 
teaching  these  heathen.  By  all  the  principles  of  our  holy  re- 
ligion, by  which  your  excellency  hopes  to  be  saved,  we  entreat 
you  not  to  hinder  us  from  preaching  the  same  religion  to  these 
perishing  idolaters.  By  all  the  solemnities  of  the  judgment 
day,  when  your  excellency  must  meet  your  heathen  subjects 
before  Grod's  tribunal,  we  entreat  you  not  to  hinder  us  from 
preaching  to  them  that  Grospel  which  is  able  to  prepare  them, 
as  well  as  you,  for  that  awful  day ;  and  we  earnestly  beseech 
Almighty  Grod,  now  and  ever,  to  guide  your  excellency  in  that 
way  which  shall  be  most  pleasing  in  his  sight." 

This  solemn  appeal  caused  the  governor  to  tremble,  and  he 
immediately  reversed  the  order  which  he  had  given  them  to 
depart. 

Mr.  Hall  was  a  man  of  untiring  diligence.  This  must  be  ap- 
parent to  any  one  who  has  read  the  published  extracts  from  his 
journal.  The  following  account  of  a  day's  labor,  in  a  letter  to 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Porter,  will  give  some  idea  of  his  habits  in  this 
respect.  "  Perhaps  few  are  more  pressed  with  labors,  or  better 
furnished  with  apologies  for  seeming  neglects  of  old  friends, 
than  I  am.  I  closed  the  public  and  social  duties  of  this  blessed 
day  a  little  before  10  o'clock  this  evening ;  and,  feeling  rather 
fatigued,  I  queried  a  moment  whether  I  should  lay  my  weary 
self  at  once  to  sleep,  or  sit  down,  and,  through  my  pen,  com- 
mune a  while  with  my  old  and  beloved  instructor.  The  lat- 
ter, you  see,  prevailed,  though  the  opposing  force  was  strong. 
I  hope  you  will  not  accuse  me  of  vain  boasting  when,  for  the 
double  purpose  of  information  and  illustration,  I  say  that,  after 


g2  ^^^'    OORDOX  HALL. 

a  short  season  by  myself  this  morning,  I  visited  four  of  onr 
Sabbath  schools  before  breakfast,  and  spoke  something  for  G-od 
in  each.  Returned  a  quarter  past  eight.  From  that  time  till 
ten  was  with  my  family,  at  breakfast,  and  by  myself.  At 
ten,  went  to  the  chapel,  spoke  with  various  people  about  salva- 
tion, and  distributed  books  till  eleven.  From  eleven  to  twelve, 
employed  in  preaching  and  praying  in  Mahratta,  from  the  pul- 
pit. From  twelve  to  three,  employed  in  domestic  worship, 
reading  the  Bible,  exposition,  and  prayer.  A  cold  dinner.  At 
three,  met  nine  schools  in  the  chapel,  heard  the  three  senior 
classes  read  the  third  chapter  of  Acts,  and  expounded  the  same. 
After  catechizing  the  whole,  gave  them  an  address,  and  con- 
cluded with  prayer.  Remained  some  time  in  the  chapel  con- 
versing with  different  individuals.  Returned  to  my  family 
between  five  and  six,  speaking  to  some  persons  by  the  way, 
and  giving  tracts.  From  this  till  half  past  seven,  tea,  &c. ; 
then  preached  in  English  to  about  forty  persons ;  returned  to 
my  house  a  quarter  past  nine,  and  attended  family  worship ; 
and  am  now  writing  to  you.  It  is  not  exactly  so  with  me 
every  Sabbath,  for  Brother  Frost  takes  his  turn  in  English 
preaching.  My  week  days  are  hardly  less  fraught  with  la- 
bors." 

Mr.  Hall  was  entirely  devoted  to  his  work,  and,  sensible  of 
the  shortness  of  time,  he  was  resolved  to  do  what  his  hand 
found  to  do  with  his  might.  Notice  what  he  said  to  his  wife 
when  she  proposed  to  him  to  accompany  her  and  her  children 
to  this  country.  "  My  dear  M.,  do  you  know  what  you  ask? 
I  am  in  good  health — I  am  able  to  preach  Christ  to  the  perish- 
ing souls  around  me.  Do  you  think  I  should  leave  my  Mas- 
ter's work  and  go  with  you  to  America  ?     Go,  then,  with  our 


REV.  GORDOy  HALL.  ^O 

.sick  boys — I  will  remain,  and  pray  for  you  all,  and  here  labor 
in  my  Master's  cause." 

Mr.  Hall  was  a  man  of  great  decision  of  character,  and  of 
indomitable  perseverance  in  whatever  he  undertook.  After  he 
had  made  up  his  mind  to  become  a  missionary  to  the  heathen, 
if  a  door  should  be  opened  for  him  by  Providence,  he  never 
wavered.  No  alluring  prospects  of  happiness  or  usefulness  in 
this  country  could  shake  his  purpose.  He  was  not  discouraged 
by  delays.  He  was  not  overcome  by  the  entreaties  or  the  op- 
position of  friends.  The  advice  even  of  the  wise  and  good,  who 
endeavored  to  persuade  him  to  accept  the  pressing  invitations 
which  were  given  him  to  settle  in  this  country,  could  not  alter 
his  resolution.  His  heart  was  fixed.  It  was  the  settled,  un- 
wavering conviction  of  his  own  mind — a  conviction  not  taken 
up  hastily,  but  after  long  and  prayerful  deliberation — that  God 
called  him  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  heathen ;  and  to  the 
heathen  he  must  go.  The  difficulties  which  he  met  with  in 
obtaining  a  settlement  in  India  would  have  disheartened  al- 
most any  other  man,  but  they  did  not  dishearten  him.  He 
never  gave  up  the  idea  for  a  moment  of  preaching  the  Gospel 
to  the  heathen  somewhere  on  the  globe  ;  and  after  he  obtain- 
ed a  settlement  at  Bombay,  it  was  a  long  time  before  he  saw 
any  considerable  fruit  of  his  labors  among  the  heathen.  But 
his  faith  did  not  fail.  He  set  his  hope  in  God.  He  said,  in 
one  of  his  letters,  "  Thousands  here  have  heard  from  our  lips 
the  tidings  of  the  Gospel,  and  many  more  are  still  hearing 
them  from  day  to  day.  But  alas !  so  far  as  we  can  see,  all 
seems  to  be  as  the  '  seed  that  fell  by  the  way-side.'  In  this 
case,  how  consoling'  to  be  assured  that  GocVs  word  shall  not 
return  void,  but  shall  surely  accomplish  the  blessed  end  for 


54  REV.  GORDON  HALL. 

ivldch  it  ID  as  sent.''^  He  knew  that  the  preaching  of  the  Gos- 
pel was  a  divine  institution,  and  that  God  would  make  it 
effectual  when  he  should  see  it  to  he  hest.  He  was  willing, 
therefore,  to  lahor,  and  leave  the  result  with  God.  He  felt  as- 
sured that,  although  God  might  for  a  long  time  try  his  faith, 
his  lahor  would  not  he  in  vain  ;  and  he  found  the  promise  sure, 
that  "  he  that  goeth  forth  and  weepeth,  bearing  precious  seed, 
shall  doubtless  come  again  with  rejoicing,  bringing  his  sheaves 
with  him." 

It  is  now  a  quarter  of  a  century  since  Gordon  Hall  entered 
on  his  reward.  He  was  one  of  the  first,  and  one  of  the  best 
of  the  missionaries  sent  out  by  the  American  Board.  May  the 
Lord  raise  up  many  such,  who  shall  be  burning  and  shining 
lights  while  they  live,  and  who  shall  shine  hereafter  "  as  the 
brightness  of  the  firmament,  and  as  the  stars  forever  and 
ever. 


REV.   JAMES   RICHARDS, 

AMERICAN    BOARD    OF    COIIMISSIONERS    FOR    FOREIGN   MISSIONS 

BY    REV.    BENJAMIN    C.    MEIGS, 
Missionary  in  Ceylon. 

iVlR.  RICHARDS  was  bom  in  Abington,  Massachusetts,  Feb- 
ruary 23lI,  1784.  He  was  the  second  son  of  James  Richards, 
Esq.  While  quite  young,  his  parents  removed  to  Plainfield, 
in  the  same  state.  His  early  education  was  strictly  religious ; 
and  during  a  season  of  special  seriousness,  under  the  ministry 
of  the  Rev.  Moses  Hallock,  the  pastor  of  that  church,  he  be- 
came a  hopeful  subject  of  divine  grace.  He  was  then  about 
thirteen  years  of  age  ;  but  he  did  not  unite  himself  with  the 
visible  church  until  six  years  after  this  time. 

Being  a  young  man  of  respectable  talents  and  ardent  piety, 
he  was  early  desirous  of  obtaining  a  liberal  education,  that  he 
might  be  prepared  to  preach  the  G-ospel  of  reconciliation.  But 
his  father,  having  a  family  of  seven  children,  did  not  feel  him- 
self able  to  dispense  with  the  services  of  James,  who  was  then 
his  eldest  son  (an  elder  brother  having  died  in  infancy),  and  to 
give  him  a  public  education.  In  these  circumstances,  his  de- 
sires to  devote  his  time  to  the  studies  preparatory  to  a  collegi- 
ate education  could  not  be  gratified  till  he  was  nearly  twenty 
years  of  age.  At  the  age  of  twenty -two,  he  became  a  mem- 
ber of  Williams  College.  During  the  whole  course  of  his  edu- 
cation, such  were  his  pecuniary  circumstances,  that  he  was 


56  R£:y-  JAMES  RICHARDS. 

under  the  necessity  of  submitting  to  many  privations.  These 
reflect  honor  upon  his  Christian  character,  as  he  submitted  to 
them  from  a  strong  desire  to  promote  the  best  interests  of  his 
fellow-men. 

While  a  member  of  college,  his  classical  acquirements  were 
respectable,  and  in  the  mathematics  he  excelled.  But  it  is  less 
on  account  of  his  attainments  in  literary  and  scientific  knowl- 
edge that  he  is  deserving  of  esteem,  than  for  his  love  of  order, 
his  correct  deportment,  and  the  bright  example  which  he  set 
before  his  fellow-students.  During  his  residence  in  college  a 
revival  of  religion  took  place.  He  labored  among  the  students 
with  diligence,  prudence,  and  zeal,  and  became  the  instrument 
of  good  to  many  of  them.  It  was  in  college  that  he  became 
acquainted  with  the  beloved  and  lamented  Samuel  J.  Mills, 
who  was  his  classmate.  A  very  intimate  and  endeared  friend- 
ship was  early  formed  between  these  kindred  spirits  ;  a  friend- 
ship which  continued  thi'ough  life,  and  which,  it  is  believed, 
has  been  resumed  and  is  to  be  perpetuated  in  heaven. 

It  is  already  known  to  many  that  Mr.  Richards  was  among 
the  first  in  his  native  land  who  sacredly  devoted  themselves  to 
the  cause  of  missions  among  the  heathen.  This  he  did  at  a 
time  when  the  subject  of  foreign  missions  had  excited  little  at- 
tention in  America,  and  before  any,  except  that  little  band  of 
brethren  (of  whom  he  was  one),  had  thought  of  making  it  a 
personal  concern.  It  was  here  that  they  examined  the  subject 
together.  It  was  here  that  they  so  often  retired  from  the  sight 
of  the  world  to  some  consecrated  spot  for  fasting  and  prayer, 
that  they  might  seek  divine  direction,  and  find  a  door  of 
entrance  among  the  heathen.  From  that  time  he  steadily 
pursued  his  object,  amid  many  delays  and  discouragements, 


REV.   JAMES   RICHARDS.  M 

which  would  have  diverted  any  less  devoted  mind  from  its  ob- 
ject. 

In  1809  he  took  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  and  the  same 
year  became  a  member  of  the  Theological  Seminary  at  An- 
dover.  Here  he  labored  with  diligence  and  success,  in  concert 
with  Mills,  and  several  others  of  his  brethren,  in  promoting  a 
spirit  of  missions  among  the  students  in  the  seminary,  and  also 
in  the  Christian  public,  by  the  distribution  of  many  books  and 
pamphlets  on  the  subject  of  missions. 

In  June,  1810,  Mr.  Richards  was  one  of  that  little  company, 
five  in  number,  who  presented  to  the  G-eneral  Association  of 
ministers  in  Massachusetts  the  memorial  on  the  subject  of 
missions  that  led  to  the  formation  of  the  American  Board  of 
Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions.  As  Mr.  Richards's  name, 
however,  does  not  appear  in  the  minutes  of  the  G-eneral  Asso- 
ciation, it  may  be  proper  to  state  the  reason  of  its  omission. 
The  subject  of  foreign  missions  being  comparatively  new,  at 
that  time,  in  America,  it  was  thought  by  the  members  of  the 
association  that /owr  was  a  sufficient  number  to  be  presented, 
in  the  first  instance,  before  the  Christian  public  as  devoted  to 
that  cause.  Mr.  Richards's  name  was  therefore  erased,  be- 
cause the  others,  with  the  exception  of  Mills,  were  his  seniors 
in  the  Theological  Seminary,  and  would  be  sooner  prepared  to 
leave  their  country  on  a  foreign  mission.  But,  although  their 
junior  in  his  collegiate  standing,  he  was  second  only  to  Mills 
in  having  solemnly  devoted  himself  to  this  great  and  glorious 
object.  His  heart  was  much  set  upon  it.  As  a  proof  of  this, 
it  may  be  proper  to  mention  that,  for  several  years  after  he  had 
formed  the  resolution  of  becoming  a  missionary  to  the  heathen, 
he  had  no  other  prospect  of  accomplishing  his  object  than  that 


58  REV.    JAMES   RICHARDS. 

of  working  liis  passage  to  some  part  of  the  gentile  world,  and 
of  casting  his  lot  among  the  heathen.  This  he  fully  intended 
to  do,  in  case  there  was  no  other  mode  of  accomplishing  his  ob- 
ject. 

As  an  evidence  of  his  strong  attachment  to  this  cause,  the 
following  brief  extracts  are  selected  from  his  journals  :  "  I  feel 
that  I  owe  ten  thousand  talents,  and  have  nothing  to  pay.  The 
heathen  have  souls  as  precious  as  my  own.  If  Jesus  was  will- 
ing to  leave  the  bosom  of  his  Father,  and  expose  himself  to 
such  sufferings  here  below  for  the  sake  of  them  and  me,  with 
what  cheerfulness  should  I  quit  the  pleasures  of  refined  soci- 
ety, and  forsake  father  and  mother,  brothers  and  sisters,  to  carry 
the  news  of  his  love  to  far  distant  lands  ;  let  me  never  consid- 
er any  thing  too  great  to  suffer,  or  any  thing  too  dear  to  part 
with,  when  the  glory  of  Grod  and  the  salvation  of  men  require 
it."  Again :  "I  hope  to  use  my  feeble  efforts  in  disseminating 
the  "Word  of  eternal  life  in  the  benighted  regions  of  the  East. 
But  I  feel  a  deep  conviction  of  my  own  weakness  and  depend- 
ence on  God,  and  the  importance  of  being  qualified  for  this 
great  work.  May*  the  Lord  give  me  strength  and  grace  !  I 
feel  as  though  I  should  be  greatly  disappointed  if  I  should  not 
be  permitted  to  preach  Christ  to  the  poor  Pagans."  At  another 
time  he  writes  :  "  There  is  some  prospect  that  peace  may  soon 
be  restored  to  our  country,  and  I  hope  ere  long  to  join  my  mis- 
sionary brethren  in  the  East.  My  heart  leaps  with  joy  at  the 
thought.  I  long  to  preach  Christ  to  the  heathen.  But  the 
burden  of  my  prayer  of  late  has  been,  that  I  may  be  prepared 
to  act  the  part  assigned  me." 

In  September,  1812,  Mr.  Richards  finished  his  theological 
studies  at  Andover,  and  became  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel.     In 


REV.   JAMES  RICHARDS.  ^g 

November  following,  under  the  direction  of  the  American  Board 
of  Missions,  he  entered  the  Medical  School  at  Philadelphia, 
where,  for  nearly  two  years,  he  prosecuted  his  studies  with 
commendable  diligence  and  good  success.  While  in  that  city, 
he  had  many  opportunities  of  preaching  to  destitute  congre- 
gations, and  in  parts  of  the  city  where  the  stated  means  of 
grace  were  not  enjoyed ;  and,  in  conjunction  with  the  lament- 
ed Warren,  was  afterward  employed,  for  a  considerable  time, 
as  a  missionary  in  the  suburbs  of  the  city.  He  took  the  de- 
gree of  Master  of  Arts  in  1814,  and  spent  a  considerable  part 
of  the  next  year  in  preaching  to  a  people  who,  previously  to  his 
going  among  them,  had  been  much  divided ;  but,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  blessing  of  God  on  his  labors,  were  united  again, 
and  enjoyed  a  pleasing  revival  of  religion.  They  then  urged 
him  to  remain  and  become  their  pastor ;  but  his  previous  en- 
gagements rendered  it  improper,  in  his  view,  to  comply  with 
their  request. 

In  May,  1815,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Bardwell,  of 
Groshen,  Massachusetts,  and  on  the  21st  of  June  following  was 
ordained  at  Newburyport,  in  company  with  Messrs.  Mills,  War- 
ren, Meigs,  Poor,  and  Bardwell,  and  expected  soon  to  sail  for 
Ceylon.  About  this  time,  he  made  the  following  entry  in  his 
journal,  expressive  of  his  attachment  to  the  missionary  work : 
"What  shall  I  render  to  the  Lord  for  all  his  mercies,  especially 
for  affording  me  a  near  prospect  of  commencing  the  work  on 
which  my  heart  has  been  so  long  and  so  constantly  set !  For 
more  than  seven  years  I  have  had  one  uniform  desire  of  spend- 
ing my  life  among  the  heathen.  If  I  know  my  own  heart,  I 
do  wish  to  spend  and  be  spent  in  preaching  the  glorious  Gos- 
pel of  Christ."     Though  he  expected  to  sail  in  a  few  weeks  after 


(3Q  REV.  JAMES   RICHARDS. 

his  ordination,  several  circumstances  occurred  to  prevent  the 
sailing  of  the  vessel  until  the  23d  of  October.  At  that  time, 
in  company  with  eight  missionary  brethren  and  sisters,  he  em- 
barked in  the  Dryad  for  Ceylon.  When  asked  afterward  how 
he  could  refrain  from  weeping  at  the  time  of  leaving  his  native 
country  and  all  that  was  dear  to  him  there,  he  replied,  "  Why 
should  I  have  wept  ?  I  had  been  waiting  with  anxiety  almost 
eight  years  for  an  opportunity  to  go  and  preach  Christ  among 
the  heathen.  I  had  often  wept  at  the  long  delay.  But  the 
day  on  which  I  bade  farewell  to  my  native  land  was  the  hap- 
piest day  of  my  life." 

The  Dryad  had  a  favorable  voyage  of  five  months  to  Colom- 
bo. Mr.  Richards,  a  short  time  after  his  arrival,  was  attacked 
with  an  inflammation  of  the  eyes.  Not  being  sufficiently 
aware  of  the  debilitating  influence  of  a  tropical  climate,  he,  in 
order  to  remove  the  inflammation,  probably  reduced  his  system 
too  low.  This,  in  connection  with  much  fatigue  in  removing 
from  Colombo  to  Jaffna,  doubtless  laid  the  foundation  of  those 
pulmonary  complaints  which  finally  terminated  in  death.  He 
arrived  in  JafTnapatam  about  one  year  after  leaving  America, 
and  in  a  few  months  removed  to  Batticotta,  where  he  was  as- 
sociated with  Mr.  Meigs.  Here,  although  his  health  was  fee- 
ble, he  labored  with  diligence  in  superintending  the  repairs  of 
the  buildings  at  that  station,  and  in  preaching  to  the  natives 
through  an  interpreter.  But  in  September,  1817,  he  was 
obliged  to  desist  from  preaching  and  from  study,  in  conse- 
quence of  a  cough  and  weakness  of  the  lungs.  A  visit  to  Co- 
lombo having  been  obviously  very  beneficial  to  his  health,  it 
was  thought  expedient  for  him  to  repeat  the  visit,  and  event- 
ually to  accompany  Mr.  Warren,  then  at  Colombo,  to  the  Cape 


REV.  JAMES  RICHARDS.  Q-\^ 

of  Good  Hope.  In  April,  1818,  the  two  brethren  set  sail  from 
Colombo,  and  in  July  they  arrived  at  Capetown.  There  the 
beloved  Warren  took  his  departure  for  a  better  world,  and  left 
his  friend  and  brother  to  pursue  his  earthly  pilgrimage  alone. 
They  had,  for  a  long  time,  been  united  in  the  closest  bonds  of 
Christian  friendship.  From  the  state  of  Mr.  Richards's  health 
at  this  time,  it  was  thought  that  the  period  of  their  separation 
could  not  be  long.  He  remained  at  the  Cape  about  four 
months.  During  the  first  three  months  of  this  period  his 
health  and  strength  were  much  improved,  and  he  entertained 
raised  expectations  of  final  recovery ;  but  during  the  last 
month  his  symptoms  took  an  unfavorable  turn.  He  raised 
considerable  blood  from  his  lungs.  His  cough,  also,  became 
much  worse ;  his  strength  failed  very  fast,  and  he  entirely  lost 
his  voice.  During  the  greatest  part  of  these  four  months  he 
lived  in  the  family  of  John  Melville,  Esq.,  the  kind  friend  of 
missionaries,  and  of  all  who  love  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  sin- 
cerity, where  he  was  pleasantly  situated,  and  received  every 
attention  which  it  was  in  the  power  of  the  family  to  bestow. 

In  the  latter  part  of  November  he  embarked,  in  company 
with  the  Rev.  Mr.  Traveller  and  his  lady,  for  Madras,  where 
he  arrived  about  the  middle  of  January.  The  kind  attentions 
of  his  fellow-passengers  contributed  to  his  comfort  and  health ; 
and  in  Madras  he  found  many  friends.  He  next  proceeded  to 
Colombo,  and  from  thence  he  went  by  water  to  Jaffnapatam. 
Though  the  distance  from  this  place  to  Batticotta  is  but  seven 
miles,  yet,  as  he  was  obliged  to  travel  it  by  land,  he  performed 
the  journey  with  difficulty.  For  a  season,  he  considered  him- 
self, and  was  considered  by  his  brethren,  as  near  death.  But 
in  August,  1819,  his  symptoms  were  more  favorable,  and  not 


g9  REV.  JAMES  RICHARDS. 

long  after  he  recovered  a  considerable  degree  of  health  and 
strength.  He  then  commenced  visiting  the  native  free-schools 
connected  with  the  station ;  and  was  able,  by  means  of  an  in- 
terpreter, to  inspect  the  studies  of  the  boys,  and  to  communi- 
cate to  them  religious  instruction. 

Early  in  April,  1820,  he  began  to  recover  his  voice,  so  as  to 
be  able  to  speak  loud  for  the  first  time  (except  for  a  few  days 
on  his  voyage  from  the  Cape  to  Madras)  for  more  than  seven- 
teen months.  During  that  month  he  was  able  to  take  consid- 
erable exercise  on  horseback,  as  well  as  to  use  more  stimula- 
ting food  and  drink.  By  these  means,  his  health  and  strength 
were  visibly  improved.  From  this  time  until  May,  1821,  there 
was  but  little  alteration  in  the  state  of  his  health.  During 
that  year  he  did  much  for  the  benefit  of  the  mission,  not  only 
by  his  counsels  and  prayers,  but  by  active  labor  as  a  physician, 
both  to  the  souls  and  bodies  of  this  people.  He  was  remark- 
able for  his  diligence  in  business,  as  well  as  fervency  in  spirit, 
laboring  sometimes  beyond  his  strength. 

On  the  evening  of  the  29th  of  June,  1822,  he  was  attacked 
with  severe  pain  in  his  right  side,  which  continued  several 
hours.  From  this  time  the  commencement  of  his  last  illness 
may  be  dated.  The  pain  in  his  side  returned  on  the  three  fol- 
lowing days,  and  on  Monday,  the  1st  of  July,  it  was  excessive- 
ly severe,  and  continued  nearly  six  hours.  It  was  to  be  hoped 
that,  in  view  of  his  protracted  illness,  he  would  be  permitted 
quietly  to  descend  to  his  grave.  But  the  "  Lord  seeth  not  as 
man  seeth  ;"  and  in  this  case,  his  brethren  had  a  pleasing  il- 
lustration of  the  truth,  "  that  the  Lord  doth  not  afflict  willing- 
ly, nor  grieve  the  children  of  men."  The  necessity  and  utility 
of  the  severe  sufferings  to  which  he  was  subjected  were  in  i\ 


REV  JAMES  RICHARDS.  no 

good  degree  apparent  even  to  us.  They  were  evidently  the 
means  of  relieving  him  from  that  state  of  mental  imbecility, 
of  which  he  had  much  complained,  and  of  rousing  to  rigorous 
exertion  all  the  powers  and  faculties  of  his  soul.  "While  thus 
awakened  by  this  powerful  stimulus,  the  Lord  was  pleased  to 
manifest  himself  unto  him  in  a  special  manner  as  the  Grod  of 
all  consolation,  as  an  infinitely  glorious  Being,  and  the  object 
of  supreme  desire.  He  was  favored,  at  that  time,  with  un- 
usually elevated  conceptions  of  the  character  of  God,  and  with 
correspondent  affections  of  heart.  He  afterward  repeatedly  re- 
marked, in  reference  to  these  seasons  of  suffering,  that  such 
were  his  views  of  the  divine  character,  and  so  desirable  did  it 
appear  to  him  that  God  should  be  glorified  by  all  his  crea- 
tures, that  he  felt  willing  that  his  sufferings  should  be  con- 
tinued, and  even  increased,  if  it  were  necessary  to  promote  any 
glorious  designs  of  his  heavenly  Father ;  and  that  his  suffer- 
ings were  so  evidently  the  means  of  rousing  his  mind  to  those 
sublime  and  heavenly  contemplations,  that  he  was  in  a  degree 
reconciled  to  them,  and  disposed  to  regard  them  as  a  proper 
occasion  of  thanksgiving.  It  is  evident  that  these  seasons  of 
severe  pain  gave  a  character  to  the  whole  remaining  course  of 
his  sickness,  and  that  they  were  the  means  of  increasing  his 
happiness  and  his  usefulness  during  the  last  weeks  of  his  life. 
On  the  19th  of  July  his  symptoms  became  more  alarming, 
and  his  distress  from  nervous  irritation  and  difficulty  of  breath- 
ing became  very  great,  so  that  it  was  necessary  for  several 
persons  to  be  constantly  employed  in  brushing  and  fanning 
him.  He  begged  us  to  pray  that  he  might  have  more  patience, 
but  observed,  "It  is  good  to  suffer.  It  gives  me  some  faint 
idea  of  what  my  Savior  bore  for  me.     Thanks,  eternal  thanks 


54  REV.  JAMES  RICHARDS. 

to  that  Grace,  which  snatched  me  from  the  jaws  of  the  de- 
vourer !  When  I  get  home,  how  will  I  sing  the  praises  of 
Him  who  will  have  washed  away  all  my  sins !  Crown  him, 
yes,  I'll  crown  him  '  Lord  of  all.'  "  That  hymn,  which  he- 
gins,  "All  hail  the  power  of  Jesus'  name,"  was  ever  a  favorite 
one,  and  he  often  requested  his  hretliren  and  sisters  to  sing  it 
to  him. 

On  the  morning  of  August  2d,  Mrs.  Richards  rose  early  to 
relieve  the  brother  who  had  watched  with  him,  and  found  him 
very  quiet  and  comfortable,  having  rested  better  than  usual. 
He  spoke  much  of  the  goodness  of  Grod  to  him,  and  expressed 
a  hope  that  he  should  not  repine  when  called  to  suffering.  A 
season  of  severe  coughing  soon  came  on,  which  affected  him 
very  much.  Soon  after  this  he  lost  his  appetite,  and  his  cough 
rendered  him  unable  to  take  stimulants,  so  that  his  strength 
failed  fast.  The  fainting,  and  the  distress  for  breath,  accom- 
panied with  great  nervous  irritation,  seemed  too  much  for  his 
feeble  body  to  sustain,  and  he  cried  out,  "0  Lord,  deliver.  0 
Lord  Jesus,  come  quickly.  If  this  be  dying,  I  must  say,  the 
pains,  the  groans,  the  dying  strife.  Lord,  is  it  not  enough  ?" 
In  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  when  ]\Irs.  Richards  went  to 
take  leave  of  him,  she  asked,  as  was  her  custom,  whether  she 
could  do  any  thing  more  for  his  comfort  before  she  retired. 
"  Yes,"  he  answered,  "  commend  me  to  G-od  and  to  the  word 
of  His  grace,  who  is  able  to  keep  me  from  falling,  and  to  pre- 
sent me  faultless  before  the  presence  of  his  glory  with  exceed- 
ing joy."  This  was  said  with  a  trembling  voice  and  with 
many  pauses.  A  little  before  11  o'clock  she  returned  to  him, 
and  he  asked  why  she  came  so  soon.  She  told  him  tliat  she 
found  it  difficult  to  sleep  while  he  was  so  distressed.     He  re- 


REV.  JAMES  RICHARDS  g^ 

plied,  "  I  am  more  quiet,  and  do  not  need  you  now ;  yet  I  feel 
pain  in  my  breast.  I  have  a  new  feeling  there."  She  told 
him  she  thought  his  symptoms  indicated  a  speedy  termination 
of  his  sufferings ;  and  perhaps  that  was  the  last  night.  "  Well, 
my  dear,"  said  he,  "  you  will  unite  with  me  in  thanking  Grod 
for  so  pleasant  a  prospect.  Retire  to  rest,  and  gain  strength  for 
the  trial."  About  three  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  3d,  he 
sent  for  his  wife,  and  when  she  came,  she  found  him  in  great 
bodily  distress.  Soon  after  this,  in  a  season  of  fainting,  he 
said,  "  Now  I  shall  go."  At  half  past  four  o'clock  Dr.  Scud- 
der  was  sent  for.  About  five  he  was  again  in  great  distress, 
when  it  was  thought  he  was  dying.  Reviving  a  little,  he  said, 
"  This  is  hard  work."  Immediately  after  this,  his  teeth  be- 
gan to  chatter,  his  pulse  became  indistinct,  and  his  breathing 
very  irregular.  A  little  before  seven  Dr.  Scudder  arrived,  and 
approaching  his  bed,  said,  "  Well,  Brother  Richards,  it  is  al- 
most over."  Joy  beamed  in  his  countenance  as  he  looked  up 
and  said,  "Yes,  Brother  Scudder,  I  think  so— I  hope  so.  0 
Lord  Jesus,  come  quickly  I"  After  drowsing  a  few  moments, 
he  took  an  affectionate  leave  of  his  afflicted  wife,  and  observed, 
"  I  have  long  been  giving  you  my  dying  counsel  and  advice, 
and  have  now  only  to  say  farewell!  The  Lord  bless  you." 
Shortly  after.  Dr.  Scudder  observed  that  he  might  possibly  con- 
tinue a  day  or  two  longer.  Mr.  Richards,  with  a  look  of  dis- 
appointment, replied,  "  No,  Brother  Scudder,  no ;  I  am  just  go- 
ing." Soon  after,  "  I  have  now  clearer  views  of  the  Savior 
than  before.  0,  He  is  precious."  About  half  past  ten  o'clock 
he  revived  a  little,  and  was  able  to  speak  more  distinctly.  On 
being  asked  what  were  his  views  of  divine  things,  he  replied, 
"  Not  so  clear ;  I  still  feel  that  I  see  through  a  glass  darkly. 

E 


gg  REV  JAMES  RICHARDS 

But  soon,  yes,  veri/  soon,  face  to  face."  He  then  inquired  for 
James,  his  only  child,  who  was  standing  at  the  head  of  his 
bed.  Taking  him  by  the  hand,  he  said,  "  My  son,  your  papa 
is  dying.  He  will  very  soon  be  dead.  Thou,  my  son,  remem- 
ber three  things.  Be  a  good  boy,  obey  your  mamma,  and  love 
Jesus  Christ.  Now  remember  these,  my  son."  He  also  gave 
him  a  small  pocket  Testament,  and  told  him  to  read  it  much 
and  obey  it.  His  whole  appearance  was  such  as  to  denote 
that  his  last  moments  had  arrived.  Dr.  Scudder  had  for  a  few 
moments  left  the  room.  Looking  round  upon  those  present, 
he  said,  "  Tell  Brother  Scudder,  g-oing"^^ — and  spoke  no  more. 
He  continued  to  breathe  for  a  few  minutes,  and  then  quietly 
fell  asleep.  His  brethren  and  sisters  present  united  in  sing- 
ing a  hymn,  and  in  offering  up  a  prayer  to  G-od,  expressive 
of  the  mingled  emotions  of  joy  and  grief  excited  by  the  occa- 
sion. 

On  the  following  day,  which  was  the  Sabbath,  the  members 
of  the  mission  assembled  at  Tillipally,  and  after  attending  to 
some  appropriate  religious  exercises,  committed  the  remains  of 
their  departed  brother  to  the  grave,  in  assured  hope  of  a  glori- 
ous resurrection,  when  this  corruptible  must  put  on  incorrup- 
iion,  and  this  mortal  must  put  on  immortality. 

Having  been  called  into  the  kingdom  of  grace  in  early  life, 
his  piety  was  of  many  years'  growth.  But  its  depth  and  ma- 
turity were  marked  no  less  by  the  diligence  with  which  he  had 
cultivated  it,  than  by  the  number  of  years  he  had  maintained 
a  pious  character.  The  reality  and  strength  of  his  piety,  as 
will  appear  from  the  facts  already  stated,  were  put  to  a  severe 
test  through  almost  the  whole  period  of  his  missionary  course. 
His  trials  were  many,  and  in  some  respects  peculiar.     But  the 


REV.    JAMES   RICHARDS.  Qn 

manner  in  which  he  bore  them,  in  the  various  situations  in 
which  he  was  placed,  evinced  that,  being  tried,  he  was  not 
found  wanting,  but  was  enabled  to  give  an  illustration  of  the 
truth,  that  "  tribulation  worketh  patience,  and  patience  expe- 
rience, and  experience  hope,  and  hope  maketh  not  ashamed." 
He  was  very  particular  in  the  observance  of  stated  secret  pray- 
er. For  many  years  before  his  death,  it  was  his  constant  habit 
to  attend  to  this  duty  morning,  noon,  and  night ;  and  for  sev- 
eral  months  before  his  death,  he  added  another  season  imme- 
diately after  coming  in  from  his  evening  ride.  He  said  that, 
as  he  could  not  perform  much  active  labor  in  the  mission,  he 
felt  it  his  duty  to  be  much  in  prayer  for  its  prosperity.  In  ad- 
dition to  these  stated  seasons  of  secret  prayer,  he  united  in 
family  prayer  morning  and  evening ;  in  the  season  of  prayer 
at  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  which  is  observed  by  all  the 
missionaries  in  the  district ;  and  also  with  his  wife,  after  they 
had  retired  in  the  evening,  making  in  all  eight  seasons  of 
prayer  every  day.  When  he  had  been  prevented  one  morning 
by  company  from  attending  to  his  secret  devotions,  he  wrote 
in  his  journal  as  follows  :  "  I  felt  a  great  uneasiness  on  this 
account  all  the  morning  ;  and  when  I  retired  at  noon,  I  felt  as 
though  I  had  been  absent  for  a  long  time  from  an  important 
place."  At  another  time,  he  thus  expresses  his  feelings  in  the 
performance  of  this  duty  :  "I  find  it  my  delight,  from  day  to 
day,  to  pour  out  my  heart  in  prayer.  0  let  me  live  in  the  re- 
motest corner  of  the  earth,  and  enjoy  the  sweets  of  communion 
with  God,  rather  than  in  a  palace,  and  remain  a  stranger  to 
this  happiness."  And  again  :  "  This  morning  I  have  been  fa- 
vored with  near  access  to  the  throne  of  grace.  0  how  delight- 
ful! 


68 


REV.   JAMES  RICHARDS. 

"  '  My  willing  soul  would  stay 
In  such  a  frame  as  this.' 


What  a  great  blessing  to  be  allowed  to  spread  all  my  wants 
before  the  living  Grod,  and  to  do  this  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  !"  The  following  extract  is  expressive  of  his  confidence 
in  Grod  :  "I  have  had  no  great  joys  or  extraordinary  views  of 
late,  but  I  feel  such  a  confidence  in  Grod  as  I  would  not  part 
with  for  all  the  riches  in  the  world.  The  Lord  is  faithful  in 
fulfilling  all  his  promises,  and  the  language  of  my  heart  is,  I 
will  trust  in  him  all  the  days  of  my  life."  Those  who  knew 
him  most  intimately  can  testify  that  his  life  was  in  accordance 
with  the  extracts  that  have  been  made  from  his  writings,  and 
that  they  were  not  mere  words  without  meaning,  but  the  real 
sentiments  and  feelings  of  his  heart.  It  is  not  intended  by  this, 
however,  that  he  was  perfect — that  he  was  destitute  of  those 
faults  and  infirmities  that  are  incident  to  the  best  of  men  in 
this  state  of  trial.  He  was  fully  aware  of  his  easily  besetting 
sins,  and  maintained  a  constant  and  vigorous  warfare  against 
them.  It  was  his  daily  grief  that  he  was  not  more  holy,  and 
his  constant  endeavor  to  become  perfectly  conformed  to  his  di- 
vine Lord  and  Master.  "  Forgetting  the  things  that  are  be- 
hind, he  pressed  toward  the  mark  for  the  prize  of  the  high  call- 
ing of  God  in  Christ  Jesus."  From  what  has  been  said,  it  will 
appear  that  he  possessed  that  primary  and  essential  qualifica- 
tion of  a  true  missionary — ardent  piety. 

Those  who  knew  him  best,  and  saw  him  among  the  hea- 
then, can  testify  that  he  had  a  strong  partiality  for  the  mission- 
ary work.  He  was  ever  disposed  to  magnify  his  office.  He 
visited  many  missionary  stations,  both  in  Asia  and  Africa, 
where  he  had  frequent  opportunities  of  surveying  the  mission- 


REV.   JAMES   RICHARDS.  gQ 

ary  field  in  different  aspects ;  Lut  after  all  he  had  seen  that 
was  unfavorahle  and  discouraging,  and  the  contrary,  he  was 
heard  repeatedly  to  say,  with  much  deliberation,  "  I  consider 
the  employment  of  a  humble  and  faithful  missionary,  who  is 
engaged  in  actually  preaching-  the  Gospel  among'  the  heathen, 
the  most  noble,  the  most  important,  and  the  most  desirable  em- 
ployment on  earth."  The  bitterest  ingredient  in  his  cup  of 
affliction  was  that  he  could  not  be  thus  employed.  On  the 
last  topic,  he  wrote  a  few  months  before  he  died  as  follows : 
"  To  be  able  to  do  little  or  nothing  in  a  field  so  ripe  for  the  har- 
vest ;  to  see  hundreds  ignorant  of  the  day  of  salvation,  and  yet 
unable  to  speak  to  them  ;  to  spend  month  after  month,  and 
year  after  year,  in  taking  care  of  myself,  instead  of  preaching 
to  the  heathen,  has  caused  many  a  sigh  and  many  a  groan. 
But  I  hope  I  have  been  enabled  to  feel  that  my  labors  are  of 
little  consequence,  and  that  all  the  glorious  predictions  con- 
cerning the  triumphs  of  the  cross  will  assuredly  be  accom- 
plished, whether  I  live  long  or  die  soon." 

In  a  letter  to  his  brother,  written  about  six  months  before 
his  death,  he  gives  a  detailed  account  o{  his  Joi/s  and  sorrows 
as  a  missionary.  A  few  extracts  from  that  letter  will  give  a 
further  illustration  of  his  views  and  feelings  on  missionary  sub- 
jects. One  cause  of  sorrow,  on  which  he  dwelt  very  much, 
was  the  embarrassments  of  the  mission  at  that  time  for  want 
of  funds.  At  the  conclusion  of  that  subject,  he  says,  "  Could 
the  friends  of  missions  in  America  see  the  things  which  I  see, 
and  hear  the  things  which  I  hear,  they  would  not  withhold 
their  contributions  from  the  treasury  of  the  Lord.  Could  they 
see,  as  I  do,  the  hearts  of  my  brethren  and  sisters  united  iu 
prayer  and  in  labor  as  the  heart  of  one  man  ;  could  they  be- 


iJ-Q  REV.    JAMES   RICHARDS. 

hold  these  wretched  heathen  from  day  to  day  carrying  on  their 
breasts  and  on  their  foreheads  the  badges  of  heathenism,  and 
know  the  cruel  bondage  in  which  they  are  held,  there  would, 
I  think,  be  no  more  need  of  missionary  sermons  and  missionary 
agents  to  unlock  the  coffers  of  the  rich.  The  country  would 
be  all  in  motion.  Some  would  give  their  thousands,  and  mul- 
titudes their  dollars  and  cents,  till  the  treasury  of  the  Lord 
should  be  filled.  If  the  object  could  not  be  effected  in  any 
other  way,  some  would  live  on  bread  and  water,  and  others 
would  sell  their  houses  and  lands,  to  furnish  the  means  of  en- 
lightening the  heathen — of  making  known  to  them  the  only 
Redeemer  of  sinners." 

Among  the  sources  of  his  joy  which  he  mentions,  the  follow- 
ing are  selected :  "I  rejoice  especially  in  seeing  the  "Word  of 
Grod  preached  extensively  to  the  people  in  their  own  tongue, 
because  it  pleases  God  bp  the  foolishness  of  preaching"  to  save 
them  that  believe.     Soon  I  hope  we  shall  be  able  to  say, 

"  '  The  year  of  jubilee  is  come, 

Return,  ye  ransom'd  sinners,  home.' 

"  I  come  now  to  mention  the  unspeakable  joy  of  seeing  con- 
verts from  among  the  heathen.  When  I  think  of  what  G-od 
has  done  for  us  in  this  way ;  when  I  think  that  God  has  in- 
creased our  number  since  we  came  to  this  place ;  when  I  think 
of  Malleappa,  of  Gabriel,  of  Nicholas,  and  of  Philip  ;  when  I 
think  of  Porter,  of  Jordan,  of  Niles,  of  Onesimus,  of  George,  and 
of  Santeo,  names  enrolled  with  ours,  and  I  hope  with  patri- 
archs and  prophets ;  and  when  I  think  also  of  three  or  four 
others,  who  expect  soon  to  become  members  of  our  Church, 
my  soul  almost  leaps  from  the  body,  and  I  pant  for  other 


REV.   JAMES   RICHARDS.  m-j 

powers,  that  I  may  be  enabled  to  declare  the  feelings  I  pos- 
sess. 

"  The  promises  of  God  produce  more  joy  in  the  breast  of  the 
missionary  than  all  other  facts  and  considerations  combined. 
If  this  source  of  joy  were  dried  up,  all  others  would  soon  fail, 
[t  would  be  of  little  consequence  to  me  that  I  have  a  few  inti- 
mate and  agreeable  friends  ;  that  I  see  missionary  stations 
formed,  schools  established,  and  the  Grospel  preached  to  thou- 
sands ;  that  I  see  many  prejudices  overcome,  and  many  good 
impressions  made ;  that  I  see  my  brethren  and  sisters  much 
engaged  in  labor  and  in  prayer ;  that  I  see  a  few,  who  were 
once  heathen,  giving  up  all  for  Christ.  Circumstances  like 
these  are  exceedingly  pleasant,  but,  without  the  promises  of 
G-od,  can  never  support  the  missionary.  These  promises  can 
never  fail  us.  Hopeful  conversions  may  all  prove  to  be  false ; 
the  most  loving  missionaries  may  fall  out  by  the  way  ;  the  ear 
that  has  listened  to  the  sound  of  the  Gospel  may  become  deaf 
as  an  adder ;  these  stations,  that  are  now  flourishing,  may  again 
be  forsaken,  and  tumble  into  ruins ;  but  the  promises  of  God 
will  all  be  accomplished,  and  the  blessed  Redeemer  will  have 
'  the  heathen  for  his  inheritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts  of 
the  earth  for  his  possession  ;  and  the  ransomed  of  the  Lord 
shall  return^  &o.  '  And  they  shall  not  teach  every  man  his 
neighbor,  saying,  Know  the  Lord,  for  all  shall  know  him 
from  the  least  unto  the  greatest!'  " 

It  would  not  be  correct  to  say  that  in  preaching  the  Gospel, 
or  in  attending  to  other  active  duties  of  the  mission,  he  was  ex- 
tensively useful ;  though,  from  the  facts  mentioned  in  the  nar- 
rative, it  will  appear  that  he  did  something.     But, 


72  R^y-  JAMES   RICHARDS. 

"  Who  does  whate'er  his  circumstance  allows, 
Does  well,  acts  nobly — angels  could  no  more." 

In  speaking  of  him  with  reference  to  this  sentiment,  it  is  prop- 
er to  say  he  was  a  laborious  missionary,  and  acquitted  himself 
well.  But  this  is  not  all.  His  patience  in  suffering ;  his  faith 
and  confidence  in  God  amid  trials  of  various  descriptions  ;  his 
habitual  cheerfulness  and  resignation  to  the  divine  will  while 
under  the  rod  of  affliction  ;  his  disposition  to  exert  himself  in 
the  work  of  the  mission  though  unnerved  by  sickness ;  the  live- 
ly interest  he  manifested  in  every  thing  that  related  to  the 
cause  of  Christ ;  his  desire  to  lay  down  his  life  in  the  sight  of 
the  heathen  as  a  testimony  of  love  to  their  souls,  and  of  his 
love  to  his  Savior  ;  these,  and  other  graces  of  a  kindred  nature 
which  he  exhibited,  reflect  honor,  not  only  upon  himself  as  a 
missionary,  but  upon  the  cause  to  which  he  was  devoted. 

In  speaking  of  the  assistance  rendered  by  him  to  the  mission 
with  which  he  was  connected,  it  must  be  remarked  that  he 
was  highly  useful  as  a  friend  and  counselor,  as  a  companion 
and  fellow-laborer.  He  was  under  very  favorable  circumstan- 
ces for  giving  counsel  and  advice  both  to  individuals  and  to 
the  missionaries  as  a  body.  Consequently,  he  was  very  use- 
ful in  promoting  that  spirit  of  union  and  brotherly  love  which 
has  hitherto  subsisted  among  them,  and  which  is  justly  consid- 
ered one  of  the  most  pleasing  features  of  their  mission.  The 
example  of  this  dear  brother  is  a  rich  legacy,  which  his  sur- 
viving fellow-laborers  will  highly  value. 


HARRIET  NEWELL. 


Fac  Simile,  from  Mrs   Newell's  Journal  at  Sea,  August  11th,  1812. 


.<i^  <9l-/</^_ 


MRS.  HARRIET   NEWELL, 

AMERICAN    BOARD    OF    COMMISSIONERS    FOR    FOREIGN    MISSIONS. 

BY    REV.    AARON    WARNER, 
Amherst,  Mass. 

Mrs.  HARRIET  NEWELL  was  the  daughter  of  Mr.  John 
and  Mrs.  Mary  Atwood,  of  Haverhill,  Massachusetts.  The  fam- 
ily were  in  easy  circumstances  in  life,  and  were  highly  respect- 
ed and  beloved  by  the  circle  of  friends  in  which  they  moved. 
Harriet  was  born  October  10th,  1793.  She  was  educated  into 
a  belief  of  those  truths  and  doctrines  which  are  ordinarily  term- 
ed evangelical.  Though  no  special  seriousness  was  observed 
or  felt  in  the  earlier  years  of  her  life,  she  was  in  her  character 
such  as  her  relations  demanded :  a  dutiful  child,  a  kind  and 
affectionate  sister.  The  amenity  and  gentleness  of  her  deport- 
ment is  still  distinctly  in  the  remembrance  of  those  who  knew 
her  in  her  early  days. 

In  the  summer  of  1806,  while  in  attendance  upon  the  acad- 
emy at  Bradford',  a  village  about  a  mile  distant  from  her  fa- 


76  MRS.  HARRIET  NEWELL 

ther's  house,  her  attention  was  especially  called  to  serious  sub- 
jects ;  and  it  was  at  this  place  that  a  direction  was  given  to 
her  reflections  that  resulted  in  a  radical  change  of  heart ;  and 
though  involved,  after  this  period,  for  a  time,  in  the  vanities  of 
the  world,  her  former  impressions  returned,  and  her  religious 
character  was  invested  with  an  additional  lustre.  A.  deeper 
humility  and  a  steadier  faith  marked  her  progress. 

Speaking  of  herself  previous  to  her  religious  interest,  and 
during  that  period,  she  thus  writes  in  her  Diary :  "  The  first 
ten  years  of  my  life  were  spent  in  vanity :  I  was  entirely  ig- 
norant of  the  depravity  of  my  heart."  The  amusements  com- 
mon to  those  of  her  age  were  entered  upon  by  her,  and  it  was 
only  by  solemnly  resolving  that  she  would  immediately  become 
religious  when  the  term  of  her  school  should  close,  that  her 
conscience  was  quieted. 

"  These  determinations,"  she  remarks,  "  were  not  carried 
into  effect.  Although  I  attended  every  day  to  secret  prayer, 
and  read  the  Bible  with  greater  attention  than  before,  yet  I 
soon  became  weary  of  these  exercises,  and  by  degrees  omitted 
entirely  the  duties  of  the  closet,  "When  I  entered  my  thir- 
teenth year,  I  was  sent  by  my  parents  to  the  academy  at  Brad- 
ford. A  revival  of  religion  commenced  in  the  neighborhood, 
which  in  a  short  time  spread  into  the  school.  A  large  num- 
ber of  the  young  ladies  were  anxiously  inquiring  what  they 
should  do  to  inherit  eternal  life.  I  began  to  inquire,  What  do 
these  things  mean  ?  My  attention  was  solemnly  called  to  the 
concerns  of  my  immortal  soul.  I  was  a  stranger  to  hope  ;  and 
I  feared  the  ridicule  of  my  gay  companions.  My  heart  was 
opposed  to  the  character  of  Grod  ;  and  I  felt  that,  if  I  continued 
an  enemy  to  his  government,  I  must  eternally  perish.     My  con- 


MRS.  HARRIET  NEWELL.  177 

victions  of  sin  were  not  so  pungent  and  distressing  as  many 
have  had,  but  they  were  of  long  continuance.  It  was  more 
than  three  months  before  I  was  brought  to  cast  my  soul  on  the 
Savior  of  sinners,  and  rely  on  him  alone  for  salvation." 

Such  is  the  brief  history  of  a  mind  that,  under  divine  influ- 
ence, was  preparing  for  its  after-career  oi  then  novel  and  beau- 
tiful Christian  action.  It  is  as  true  in  the  mental  as  in  the 
material  world,  that  there  is  a  wise  and  definite  relationship  in 
the  plans  of  God.  The  character,  in  its  original  elements,  is 
often  seen  to  be  most  happily  adapted  to  the  end  designed. 

It  was  so  in  the  case  of  Mrs.  Newell.  "  She  was  naturally 
possessed  of  a  lively  imagination  and  great  sensibility,  cheer- 
ful and  unreserved."  And  it  was  through  these  elements,  ma- 
tured, refined,  and  guided  by  Christian  intelligence  and  love, 
that  she  was  fitted  to  feel  a  compassion  and  expend  a  sympa- 
thy for  the  distant  heathen  that  few  then  felt.  The  convic- 
tion of  her  own  sinfulness,  and  the  strong  and  painful  strug- 
gles of  her  spirit  before  she  gave  herself  to  her  Redeemer, 
left  on  her  heart  a  deep  and  definite  impression  of  the  mis- 
ery of  a  mind  alienated  from  God,  and  the  preciousness  of 
Christ  to  her  desolate  heart  waked  the  quick  and  delicate  sens- 
ibilities of  her  soul  for  the  millions  in  the  darkness  of  hea- 
thenism. 

"What  am  I,"  she  writes,  even  before  she  had  made  a  pro- 
fession of  her  faith — "  what  am  I,  that  I  should  be  blessed 
with  the  Gospel's  joyful  sound,  while  so  many  are  perishing  in 
heathen  darkness  for  lack  of  the  knowLJge  of  Christ  ?" 

In  the  month  of  August,  1809,  she  made  a  public  consecra- 
tion of  herself  to  God  in  the  church  ("f  her  native  village.  She 
was  then  in  the  sixteenth  year  of  her  age.     Her  view  of  this 


MRS.  HARRIET  NEWELL. 


interesting  transaction  is  such  as  we  might  expect  from  one  of 
her  peculiar  temperament.  In  her  Diary  she  thus  expresses 
herself: 

"  August  6th,  1809,  Lord's  day  morning.  Upon  this  sacred 
morning,  oh  that  the  Holy  Spirit  of  Grod  would  enliven  and 
animate  my  cold  and  stupid  affections !  Oh  that  I  might  en- 
ter his  earthly  courts,  worship  him  in  an  acceptable  manner, 
profess  his  name  before  a  scoffing  world,  sit  down  at  his  table, 
and  partake  in  faith  of  the  body  and  blood  of  Jesus." 

Other  remarks,  following  this  transaction,  exhibit  the  same 
marked  outlines  of  character  as  are  seen  in  the  history  of  her 
life.  Her  spirit  is  absorbed  in  the  act,  and  her  affections  all 
centre  in  this  point,  and  flow  out  in  their  unchecked  fullness, 
while  yet,  with  this  entireness  of  her  consecration  to  Christ,  is 
beautifully  seen  to  mingle  the  self-distrust  and  diffidence  of  a 
sensitive  Christian  heart.  "  I  have  now,"  she  writes  to  a 
friend,  "  publicly  confessed  my  faith  in  God.  I  have  taken  the 
vows  of  the  covenant  upon  me,  and  solemnly  surrendered  my- 
self to  Him  eternally.  Entreat  Grod  to  have  mercy  upon  me, 
and  keep  me  from  falling." 

From  this  period  till  the  question  arose  of  her  going  abroad 
on  a  mission  to  the  heathen,  nothing  of  special  interest  is  at- 
tached to  her  history.  Her  Christian  character  is  seen  to  de- 
velop itself  with  increasing  power  and  beauty ;  her  letters  to 
her  companions  and  friends  distinctly  reveal  her  progress,  and 
discover  a  chastened  and  deep  flow  of  Christian  feeling.  Not 
unlike  other  followers  of  Christ,  the  darkness  and  the  light  were 
mingled  in  her  path  ;  she  had  her  hours  of  trial  and  of  joy. 

At  the  close  of  the  year  1809,  she  remarks :  "I  have  now 
come  to  the  close  of  another  year.    How  various  have  been  the 


MRS.  HARRIET  NEWELL  17Q 

scenes  which  I  have  been  called  to  pass  through  this  year.  But 
what  have  I  done  for  Grod  ?  what  for  the  interests  of  religion  ? 
and  what  for  my  own  soul  ?  I  have  passed  through  one  of  the 
most  solemn  scenes  of  my  life  ;  I  have  taken  the  sacramental 
covenant  upon  me ;  I  have  solemnly  joined  myself  to  the  Church 
of  the  blessed  Jesus.  Oh  that  I  might  now,  as  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  great  Jehovah  and  his  holy  angels,  with  penitential 
sorrow  confess  my  past  ingratitude,  and  in  humble  reliance  on 
the  strength  of  Jesus,  resolve  to  devote  the  ensuing  year,  and 
the  remaining  part  of  my  days,  to  his  service." 

On  her  birth-day,  October  10th,  1810,  she  speaks  thus : 
"  This  day  entered  upon  my  eighteenth  year.  Seventeen  years 
have  rolled  almost  insensibly  away.  I  still  remain  a  pilgrim 
in  this  barren  land." 

She  speaks,  during  this  month,  of  a  female  friend,  who  in- 
formed her  of  her  purpose  to  spend  her  life  among  the  heathen. 

"  How  did  this  news  affect  my  heart  ?  Is  she  willing  to  do 
all  this  for  God,  and  shall  I  refuse  to  lend  my  little  aid  in  a 
land  where  divine  revelation  has  shed  its  clearest  rays  ?  I  have 
felt  more  for  the  salvation  of  the  heathen  this  day  than  I  rec- 
ollect to  have  felt  through  my  whole  past  life." 

Though  there  was  no  indication  of  her  own  going  on  a  mis- 
sionary life  at  this  time,  her  heart  seems  to  have  been  deeply 
excited  by  the  degradation  and  misery  of  the  heathen.  "  How 
dreadful  their  condition  !  What  heart  but  would  bleed  at  the 
idea  of  the  sufferings  they  endure  to  obtain  the  joys  of  Para- 
dise ?  What  can  I  do,  that  the  light  of  the  Grospel  may  shine 
upon  them  ?" 

Although  her  heart  had  been  much  moved  in  view  of  the 
condition  of  heathen  lands,  she  seemed  little  aware  that  a  ques- 


i^Q  MRS.  HARRIET  NEWELL 

f.ion  deeply  interesting  to  herself  and  others  was  so  soon  to  re« 
ceive  a  practical  answer  in  her  own  relinquishment  of  home 
and  country  for  life.  But  a  little  more  than  two  years  from 
this  inquiry,  her  work  for  the  heathen  was  done,  and  she  en- 
tered upon  her  reward. 

It  was  on  the  17th  of  April,  1811,  that  her  duty,  in  regard 
to  leaving  her  home  as  a  missionary,  was  first  presented.  It 
is  not  possible,  at  this  time,  to  appreciate  the  difficulties  that 
then  gathered  around  this  subject.  The  problem  of  mission- 
ary life  to  heathen  lands  is  now  solved ;  but  it  was  not  thus 
when  it  was  presented  to  a  timid,  delicate  female,  not  yet 
eighteen,  nurtured  in  the  bosom  of  parental  care,  and  sustain- 
ed by  all  the  amenities  of  cultivated,  social  life. 

When  this  question  was  asked  of  one  thus  circumstanced,  it 
seems  difficult  to  divine  what  new  and  strange  emotions  could 
be  waked  in  the  heart. 

Speaking  of  the  letter  in  which  the  inquiry  if  she  would  go 
on  a  foreign  mission,  was  made,  she  says :  "  This  was  not  a 
long-wished-for  letter;  no,  it  was  a  long-dreaded  one  —  one 
which  I  was  conscious  would  involve  me  in  doubt,  anxiety, 
and  distress.  Nor  were  the  contents  such  as  I  might  answer 
at  a  distant  period  ;  they  required  an  immediate  answer.  And 
now,  what  shall  I  say  ?  How  shall  I  decide  this  important, 
this  interesting  question  ?  Shall  I  consent  to  leave  forever  the 
parents  of  my  youth — the  friends  of  my  life — the  dear  scenes 
of  my  childhood  and  my  native  country,  and  go  to  a  land  of 
strangers,  not  knowing  the  things  that  shall  befall  me  there  ? 
Oh,  for  direction  from  Heaven  !  oh,  for  that  wisdom  which  is 
profitable  to  direct !  I  will  go  to  God  with  an  unprejudiced 
mind,  and  seek  his  guidance.     I  will  cast  this  heavy  burden 


MR.S.  HARRIET  NEWELL.  gl 

on  Him.  So  delicate  is  my  situation,  that  I  dare  not  unbosom 
my  heart  to  a  single  person.  What  shall  I  do  ?  Could  tears 
direct  me  in  the  path  of  duty,  surely  I  should  be  directed." 

Such  was  the  condition  into  which  the  mind  of  Mrs.  Newell 
was  thrown  when  this  subject  was  presented  for  her  decision. 
Hard  must  have  been  the  heart,  thus  circumstanced,  that  could 
repress  its  sensibilities.  To  her  the  question  involved  the 
breaking  up  of  all  the  dear  alliances  of  country,  home,  and 
friendship — a  self-denial  that  few  have  been  willing  to  make. 
She  must  quit  her  native  shore,  with  little  or  no  hope  of  return. 
No  future  expected  greetings  of  parents  and  friends,  once  bid- 
den adieu,  served  to  lighten  the  sorrows  of  the  breaking  heart : 
she  spoke  her  long,  last  farewell,  when  she  left  her  native  land. 

There  is  a  grandeur,  at  times,  in  the  decisions  of  the  human 
mind  that  language  has  little  power  to  express.  As  there  is  in 
material  nature  a  beauty  and  a  loftiness  that  no  pencil  can 
draw,  so  is  there  in  the  character  a  height  and  beauty  that 
words  can  not  reach,  and  that  we  can  best  appreciate  in  our 
unspoken  reflections. 

The  sensibilities  of  the  heart,  the  decisions  of  the  will,  those 
hidden  and  deep  conflicts  of  the  inward,  spiritual  life,  are  not 
weighed  in  the  scales  of  materialism,  or  imaged  out  by  any 
conventional  phraseology.  Situated  as  Mrs.  Newell  was,  in  the 
decision  of  the  subject  on  which  hung  her  whole  future  life, 
there  is  a  development  of  character  which  we  will  not  attempt 
to  delineate. 

Nor  do  we  believe  that,  with  her  character  and  inducements 
to  remain  in  her  own  land,  and  among  her  friends,  the  decision 
to  ofo  to  India  would  ever  have  been  made  but  under  higher 
motives  than  this  life  offiers.     This  is  evident  from  her  own 

F 


g2  ^^^R '^-  HARRIET  yE  WEL L. 

writings.  In  them  is  distinctly  seen  the  conflict  that  existed 
in  her  heart,  in  the  settlement  of  this  question.  It  was  at  the 
expense  of  the  long-cherished  and  endeared  associations  of  a 
youthful  mind  that  she  seemed  simply  to  inquire  for  duty. 
When  this  was  settled,  all  was  settled  ;  and  though  the  natu- 
ral affections  were  not  suppressed,  nor  the  sympathies  and  sens- 
ibilities of  the  heart  to  friends  and  home  less  full  and  sweet 
than  before,  they  were  all  held  subordinate  to  higher  claims. 

In  this  was  illustrated  the  delightful  outline  of  character 
which  lies  at  the  foundation  of  all  true  moral  excellence.  The 
will  of  God  was  the  law  of  life.  Duty  settled  all  inquiries. 
Conscience,  enlightened,  had  but  to  give  its  decisions,  and  all 
the  powers  of  the  soul  yielded  a  quick  compliance. 

It  was  in  this  ready,  simple  acquiescence  to  right  that  Mrs. 
Newell  has  exhibited  an  elevation  of  Christian  character  that 
most  naturally  classes  itself  with  those  who,  in  past  times, 
have  not  "  counted  their  lives  dear  unto  them." 

To  trace  the  play  of  the  natural  sensibility  and  refined  sym- 
pathy in  her  character,  chastened  and  subdued  by  a  high  love 
to  Christ  and  to  the  perishing  heathen,  might  easily  occupy  a 
more  extended  narration,  and  furnish  an  outline  of  the  rarest 
excellence. 

The  piety  of  Mrs.  Newell,  though  firm,  was  gentle  and  com- 
plaisant ;  simple  and  child-like  as  it  was  true ;  yielding  to  all 
the  sweet  proprieties  of  a  just  and  natural  relationship  with 
the  readiest  Christian  grace  and  ease.  There  was  no  diminu- 
tion in  heart  of  love  to  home  and  friends,  amid  the  deep  flow 
of  Christian  affection  that  bore  her  steadily  and  unhesitatingly 
on  to  the  great  purpose  she  had  formed. 

There  is  not  seldom,  in  the  high  decisions  of  man,  an  anni- 


MRS.  HARRIET  NEWELL.  g3 

hilation  of  much  that  makes  up  the  perfection  and  beauty  of 
human  character.  The  resolves,  like  the  eruptions  of  nature, 
lift  into  view  and  leave  visible  only  what  is  rugged,  cold,  and 
stern ;  and  the  character  is  left  bleak  and  bare  of  all  that  is 
winning,  and  affectionate,  and  delicate.  All  is  imbedded  in 
the  depths  of  an  immutable  will ;  the  sensibilities  are  expulsed, 
and  the  purposes  are  firm,  only  as  humanity  is  dead. 

There  is  firmness,  too,  when  all  the  pulses  of  refined  feeling 
beat  with  delicate  and  quickened  life.  The  tenderest  sympa- 
thies are  fresh  in  each  social  impulse ;  and  gentle  tears  are 
falling  in  the  footprints  of  an  unchangeable  purpose. 

The  one  is  like  the  granite,  cold  and  immutable  in  its  hoary 
bed ;  the  other  is  nature,  moving  steadily  and  unalterably  on, 
with  sunlight  and  smiles  on  her  face,  scattering  the  tokens  of 
her  gentle  heart  in  the  glad  rain-drops  that  fall  from  her  eyes 
of  sympathy  over  us.  Like  her  great  Author,  her  immutabil- 
ity is  the  immutability  of  gentleness  and  love. 

Mrs.  Newell,  in  her  firmness,  lost  none  of  the  modesty  and 
diffidence  that  invests  the  female  character  with  a  special 
charm  ;  she  was  the  woman  still,  pliant  to  the  wishes  of  oth- 
ers with  an  easy  gentleness,  yielding  every  thing  that  love  and 
duty  did  not  forbid.  It  was  the  well-proportioned  character, 
diminished  naught  by  the  one  fixed  design  of  her  heart.  It 
stands,  in  our  view,  a  specimen  in  this  respect ;  on  a  height  of 
excellence  that  mere  philosophy  has  never  reached  ;  worthy  of 
the  study  of  those  who  would  temper  their  firmness,  in  a  world 
of  temptation,  with  a  condescension  and  gentleness  that  is  as 
remote  from  the  fixedness  of  an  unyielding  obstinacy,  as  it  is 
from  the  fickleness  of  hesitancy  and  doubt. 

On  the  6th  of  February,  1812,  Mrs.  Newell  was  present  at 


84 


MRS.  HARRIET  NEWELL. 


the  ordination  of  the  missionaries  at  Salem ;  yet  tranquil  and 
firm  in  the  purpose  she  had  formed,  of  devoting  her  life  to  the 
heathen.  On  the  19th,  she  sailed  with  her  husband,  in  con- 
nection with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Judson,  for  India,  leaving  forever 
her  native  land  and  home,  amid  the  sympathies  and  prayers  of 
thousands.  She  arrived  June  16th,  1812.  At  Calcutta,  dur- 
ing the  voyage,  and  while  in  India,  the  character  of  Mrs.  New- 
ell is  presented  in  the  same  light  in  which  it  has  already  been 
described ;  circumstances,  varied  from  those  of  home  and  per- 
sonal friends,  served  to  call  out  her  affectionate  heart  in  new 
forms  of  Christian  love.  She  was  alive  to  all  that  was  novel 
and  strange  in  the  customs  and  manners  of  Eastern  life,  and 
she  drank  in  the  fresh  pleasures  which  the  scenes  were  adapt- 
ed to  inspire. 

Of  the  kindness  of  Christian  friends  in  Calcutta  and  Seram- 
pore,  where  they  were  permitted  to  remain  but  a  short  time, 
she  speaks  in  the  highest  manner.  With  her  open  and  affec- 
tionate heart,  she  seemed  to  win  the  confidence  and  love  of  all 
with  whom  she  mingled ;  and  it  is  no  light  testimony  to  the 
excellence  and  value  of  her  character  that,  in  all  her  inter- 
course, she  excited  the  love  and  kindness  of  all  toward  herself, 
as  her  own  heart  was  replete  with  love  to  others. 

In  all  her  reflections  in  her  Diary,  in  all  her  letters,  we  re- 
member no  instance  in  which  anger  or  discontent  are  express- 
ed in  regard  to  the  conduct  or  character  of  others.  Whatever 
different  views  might  be  entertained  by  friends  of  her  purpose, 
whatever  ridicule  might  be  cast  on  what  was  deemed  by  many 
a  wild  and  romantic  scheme,  only  waked  in  her  heart  a  purer 
and  deeper  flow  of  tenderness  and  love  for  those  who  differed 
from  her. 


MRS.  HARRIET  NEWELL.  gK 

Surrounded  by  the  courtesies  and  kindness  of  the  Christian 
missionary  families  in  India,  she  seemed  to  herself  almost  again 
in  the  home  of  her  childhood.  But  amid  all  these  sweet  alli- 
ances of  Christian  hearts,  the  novelty  of  circumstances,  and 
character,  and  scenery,  she  did  not  forget  the  millions  of  dark 
and  debased  idolaters  by  whom  she  was  surrounded. 

Her  work,  for  which  she  left  her  home,  was  first  in  her  heart ; 
this  occupied  her  prayers,  and  called  forth  the  tenderest  sym- 
pathies. For  this  all  the  past  sacrifices  of  her  life  had  been 
made,  and  she  seemed  to  tend  to  this  result  as  her  only  point 
of  rest. 

Disappointed  in  this,  though  we  find  no  murmur  from  her 
lips,  yet  her  fond  hopes  were  overcast.  "  How  dark,"  she  re- 
marks, "  are  the  ways  of  Providence  !  Must  we  leave  these 
heathen  shores  ?"  Her  clouds,  however,  were  soon  dispelled, 
and,  in  happy  reliance  on  the  promises  of  G-od,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Newell,  with  deep  regret,  left  India  for  the  Isle  of  France. 

Fresh  trials  awaited  her  on  her  passage.  A  lovely  child, 
five  days  from  its  birth,  was  committed  to  a  watery  grave. 

The  health  of  Mrs.  Newell  gradually  declined  from  the  birth 
of  her  child,  October  11th,  till  the  30th  of  November,  when  she 
calmly  and  cheerfully  resigned  her  spirit  to  Him  who  gave  it. 

The  circumstances  of  her  death  were  such  as  might  natu- 
rally be  expected  from  her  life.  These  are  tenderly  and  mi- 
nutely described  by  Mr.  Newell,  in  a  letter  to  her  mother,  soon 
after  her  decease,  from  which  we  make  the  following  extracts. 

"When  I  sit  down  to  address  you,  my  dear  mother,  from 
this  distant  land,  to  me  a  land  of  strangers  and  a  place  of  exile, 
a  thousand  tender  thoughts  arise  in  my  mind,  and  naturally 
suggest  such  inquiries  as  these.  How  is  it  now  with  that  dear 


gg  MRS.  HARRIET  NEWELL. 

woman  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  my  greatest  earthly  bless- 
ing, the  mother  of  my  dear  Harriet;  and  mine,  too  (for  I  must 
claim  the  privilege  of  considering  you  as  my  own  dear  moth- 
er) ?  Does  the  candle  of  the  Lord  shine  on  her  tabernacle,  and 
is  the  voice  of  joy  and  praise  yet  heard  in  her  dwelling  ?  Or, 
what  is  not  improbable  in  this  world  of  disappointment,  has 
some  new  affliction,  the  death,  perhaps,  of  a  dear  child  or  of 
some  other  beloved  friend,  caused  her  heart  again  to  bleed  and 
her  tears  to  flow  ?  AJi !  my  mother,  though  we  may  live  many 
years  and  see  good  in  them  all,  yet  let  us  remember  the  days 
of  darkness,  for  they,  too,  will  be  many.  It  is  decreed  by  In- 
finite Wisdom  alone  that  through  much  tribulation  we  must 
enter  into  the  kingdom  of  Heaven.  You,  my  dear  mother,  have 
had  your  share  of  adversity,  and  I,  too,  have  had  mine  ;  but 
we  will  not  complain.  Sanctified  afflictions  are  the  choicest 
favors  of  heaven.  They  cure  us  of  our  vain  and  foolish  expec- 
tations from  the  world,  and  teach  our  thoughts  and  affections 
to  ascend  and  fix  on  joys  that  never  die.  I  never  longed  so 
much  to  see  you  as  I  have  these  several  days  past.  What  would 
1  now  give  to  sit  one  hour  by  that  dear  fireside,  where  I  have 
tasted  the  most  unalloyed  pleasure  that  earth  affords,  and  re- 
count to  you  and  the  dear  children  the  perils,  the  toils,  and  the 
sufferings  through  which  I  have  passed  since  I  left  my  native 
land.  In  this  happy  circle  I  should  for  a  moment  forget  *  * 
"Yes,  my  dear  friends,  I  would  tell  you  how  Clod  has  dis- 
appointed our  favorite  schemes,  and  blasted  our  hopes  of  preach- 
ing Christ  in  India,  and  has  sent  us  all  away  from  that  extens- 
ive field  of  usefulness,  with  an  intimation  that  he  has  nothing 
for  us  to  do  there,  while  he  has  suffered  others  to  enter  in  and 
reap  the  harvest.     I  would  tell  you  how  he  has  visited  iis  all 


MRS.   HARRIET  NEWELL.  On 

tvith  sickness,  and  how  he  has  afflicted  me,  in  particular,  by 
taking  away  the  dear  little  babe  which  he  gave  us — the  child 
of  our  prayers,  of  our  hopes,  of  our  tears.  I  would  tell  you ; 
but  0  I  shall  I  tell  it,  or  forbear     *     *     * 

"  Have  courage,  my  mother,  G-od  will  support  you  under  this 
trial,  though  it  may  for  a  time  cause  your  very  heart  to  bleed. 
Come,  then,  let  us  mingle  our  griefs  and  weep  together,  for 
she  was  dear  to  us  both ;  and  she,  too,  is  gone.  Yes,  Harriet, 
your  lovely  daughter,  is  gone,  and  you  will  see  her  face  no 
more  !  Harriet,  my  own  dear  Harriet,  the  wife  of  my  youth 
and  the  desire  of  my  eyes,  has  bid  me  a  last  farewell,  and  left 
me  to  mourn  and  weep !  Yes,  she  is  gone.  I  wiped  the  cold 
sweat  of  death  from  her  pale,  emaciated  face,  while  we  trav- 
eled together  down  to  the  entrance  of  the  dark  valley.  There 
she  took  her  upward  flight,  and  I  saw  her  ascend  to  the  man- 
sions of  the  blessed.  Oh  !  Harriet,  Harriet,  for  thou  wast  very 
dear  to  me  !  Thy  last  sigh  tore  my  heart  asunder,  and  dis- 
solved the  charm  that  bound  me  to  earth.     ***** 

"Let  us  turn  from  the  tale  of  woe  to  a  brighter  scene  ;  one 
that  will  gladden  your  heart,  as  I  am  sure  it  does  mine.  Dur- 
ing this  long  series  of  sufferings,  the  bare  recital  of  which  must 
affect  every  feeling  heart,  she  meekly  yielded  to  the  will  of  her 
heavenly  Father  without  one  murmuring  word.  '  My  wicked 
heart,'  she  writes,  '  is  inclined  to  think  it  hard  that  I  should 
suffer  such  fatigue  and  hardship.  I  sinfully  envy  those  whose 
lot  it  is  to  live  in  tranquillity  on  land.  Happy  people !  ye  know 
not  the  toils  and  trials  of  voyagers  across  the  rough  and  stormy 
deep.  Oh  for  a  little  Indian  hut  on  land.  But  hush,  my  war- 
ring passions,  it  is  for  Jesus,  who  sacrificed  the  joys  of  his  Fa- 
ther's kingdom,  and  expired  on  a  cross  to  redeem  a  fallen  world, 


gg  MRS.    HARRIET  NEWELL. 

that  thus  I  wander  from  place  to  place,  and  feel  nowhere  at 
home  !  How  reviving  the  thought !  How  great  the  consola- 
tion it  yields  to  my  sinking  heart !  I  will  cherish  it,  and  yet 
be  happy.' 

"  In  view  of  those  sufferings  which  she  afterward  experi- 
enced, she  writes  thus  :  '  I  hope  to  reach  the  place  of  our  des- . 
tination  in  good  health.  But  I  feel  no  anxiety  about  that ;  I 
know  that  Grod  orders  every  thing  in  the  best  possible  manner. 
If  He  so  orders  events  that  I  shall  suffer  pain  and  sickness  on 
the  stormy  ocean,  without  a  female  friend,  exposed  to  the  great- 
est inconveniences,  shall  I  repine,  and  think  he  deals  hardly 
with  me  ?  Oh  no.  Let  the  severest  trials  and  disappoint- 
ments fall  to  my  lot,  guilty  and  weak  as  I  am,  yet  I  think  I 
can  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  and  joy  in  the  God  of  my  salvation.' 

"  In  the  first  part  of  her  sickness  she  had  some  doubts,  which 
occasionally  interrupted  her  spiritual  comfort ;  but  they  were 
soon  removed,  and  her  mind  was  filled  with  that  peace  of  God 
which  passeth  all  understanding.  When  I  aslced  her,  a  few 
days  before  she  died,  if  she  had  any  remaining  doubts  respect- 
ing her  spiritual  state,  she  answered,  with  an  emphasis,  that 
she  had  none.  During  the  Avhole  of  her  sickness  she  talked  in 
the  most  familiar  manner,  and  with  great  delight,  of  death  and 
the  glory  that  was  to  follow.  When  Dr.  Burke  one  day  told 
her  those  were  gloomy  thoughts,  she  had  better  get  rid  of  them, 
she  replied,  on  the  contrary,  they  were  to  her  cheering  and  joy- 
ful beyond  what  she  could  express.  When  I  attempted  to 
persuade  her  that  she  would  recover  (which  I  fondly  hoped),  it 
seemed  to  strike  her  like  a  disappointment.  She  would  say, 
*  You  ought  rather  to  pray  that  I  may  depart,  that  I  may  be 
perfectly  free  from  sin,  and  be  where  God  is.' 


MRS.  HARRIET  NEWELL.  gg 

"A  few  days  before  she  died,  after  one  of  those  distressing 
turns  of  coughing  and  raising  phlegm,  which  so  rapidly  wasted 
her  strength,  she  called  me  to  come  and  sit  on  the  bed  beside 
her,  and  receive  her  dying  messages  to  her  friends.  She  ob- 
served that  her  strength  was  quite  exhausted,  and  she  could 
say  only  a  few  words,  but  feared  she  should  not  have  another 
opportunity.  '  Tell  my  dear  mother,'  said  she,  '  how  much 
Harriet  loved  her.  Tell  her  to  look  to  Grod  and  keep  near  to 
Him,  and  He  will  support  and  comfort  her  in  all  her  trials.  I 
shall  meet  her  in  heaven — for  surely  she  is  one  of  the  dear 
children  of  God.'  She  then  turned  to  her  brothers  and  sisters. 
'  Tell  them,'  said  she,  '  from  the  lips  of  their  dying  sister,  that 
there  is  nothing  but  religion  worth  living  for.  Oh,,  exhort 
them  to  attend  immediately  to  the  care  of  their  precious,  im- 
mortal souls.  Tell  them  not  to  delay  repentance.  The  eldest 
of  them  will  be  anxious  to  know  how  I  now  feel  with  respect 
to  missions.  Tell  them,  and  also  my  dear  mother,  that  I  have 
never  regretted  leaving  my  native  land  for  the  cause  of  Christ. 
Let  my  dear  brothers  and  sisters  know  that  I  love  them  to  the 
last.  I  hope  to  meet  them  in  heaven ;  but  oh,  if  I  should 
not — '  Here  the  tears  burst  from  her  eyes,  and  her  sobs  of 
grief  at  the  thought  of  an  eternal  separation  expressed  the 
feelings  that  were  too  big  for  utterance.  After  she  had  re- 
covered a  little  from  the  shock  which  these  strong  emotions 
had  given  to  her  whole  frame,  she  attempted  to  speak  of  several 
other  friends,  but  was  obliged  to  sum  up  all  she  had  to  say  in 
'  Love  and  an  affectionate  farewell  to  them  all.'  Within  a  day 
or  two  of  her  death,  such  conversation  as  the  following  passed 
between  us  : 

"  '  Should  you  not  be  willing  to  recover,  and  live  a  while 
longer  here  ?' 


90  MRS.  HARRIET  NEWELL. 

"  'On  some  accounts,  it  would  be  desirable.  I  wish  to  do 
something  for  God  before  I  die.  But  the  experience  I  have 
had  of  the  deceitfulness  of  my  heart  leads  me  to  expect  that, 
if  I  should  recover,  my  future  life  would  be  much  the  same  as 
my  past  has  been,  and  I  long  to  be  perfectly  free  from  sin. 
G-od  has  called  me  away  before  we  have  entered  on  the  work 
of  the  mission  ;  but  the  case  of  David  affords  me  comfort ;  I 
have  had  it  in  my  heart  to  do  what  I  can  for  the  heathen,  and 
I  hope  God  will  accept  me.' 

"  '  But  what  shall  I  do  when  you  are  gone  ?  How  can  I 
bear  the  separation  ?' 

"  '  Jesus  will  be  your  best  friend,  and  our  separation  will  be 
short.  We  shall  soon,  very  soon,  meet  in  a  better  world ;  if 
I  thought  we  should  not,  it  would  be  painful  indeed  to  part 
with  you.' 

"  '  How  does  your  past  life  appear  to  you  now  ?' 

"  '  Bad  enough  ;  but  that  only  makes  the  grace  of  Christ 
appear  the  more  glorious. 

"  '  Jesus,  thy  blood  and  righteousness 
My  beauty  are,  my  heavenly  dress  ; 
'Midst  flaming  worlds,  in  these  arrayed, 
With  joy  shall  I  lift  up  my  head.' 

"  When  I  told  her  that  she  could  not  live  through  the  next 
day,  she  replied,  '  Oh,  joyful  news  ;  I  long  to  depart.'  Some 
time  after,  I  asked  her,  '  How  does  death  appear  to  you  now  ?' 
She  replied,  '  Glorious  ;  truly  welcome.'  During  Sabbath 
night  she  seemed  to  be  a  little  wandering ;  but  the  next  morn- 
ing she  had  her  recollection  perfectly.  As  I  stood  by  her,  I 
asked  her  if  she  knew  me.  At  first  she  made  no  answer.  I 
said  to  her  again,  '  My  dear  Harriet,  do  you  know  who  I  am  V 


MRS.  HARRIET  XEWELL.  C)^ 

'  My  dear  Mr.  Newell,  my  husband,'  was  her  reply ;  but  in 
broken  accents,  and  a  voice  faltering  in  death. 

"  The  last  words  which  I  remember,  and  which  I  think 
were  the  last  she  uttered  relative  to  her  departure,  were  these. 
'  The  pains,  the  groans,  the  dying  strife,  how  long,  0  Lord, 
how  long.' 

"  But  I  must  stop,  for  I  have  already  exceeded  the  bounds 
of  a  letter,  though  I  have  come  far  short  of  doing  justice  to  the 
dying  deportment  of  this  dear  friend.  Oh  may  my  last  end 
be  like  hers." 

Such  was  the  closing  scene  in  the  life  of  one  who  will  live 
in  the  affectionate  memory  of  many  lands,  till  the  triumph  of 
Cliristian  benevolence  is  complete.  There  will  linger  around 
the  name  of  Harriet  Newell  an  influence  that  will  be  wide- 
ly diffused — an  influence  vital  and  refreshing  as  the  breath  of 
morning. 

It  can  not  escape  the  reflection  of  one  who  believes  in  the 
providence  of  God,  that  this  first  sacrifice  to  missions  in  the 
American  Church  was  selected  by  a  wisdom  that  knoweth  the 
end  from  the  beginning ;  by  One  "  wonderful  in  counsel,  and 
excellent  in  working."  A  brighter  example  of  mingled  excel- 
lences in  character  is  seldom  seen  on  the  historic  page. 

We  may,  in  a  thoughtless  moment,  have  wished  her  to  live  ; 
but  the  stars  come  not  out  till  the  sun  is  down.  No  long-pro- 
tracted life  could  have  so  blessed  the  Church  as  her  early 
death.  She  rose  from  death  like  a  star  of  evening,  for  Chris- 
tian and  heathen  mothers  long  to  gaze  at. 

Her  little  village,  once  the  repose  of  a  family  unbroken,  but 
now  widely  scattered,  is  named  by  the  passing  traveler  as 


92  MRS.  HARRIET  NEiVELL. 

''  the  place  where  Harriet  Newell  lived ;"  and  the  village  it- 
self is  a  dear  spot  to  many,  in  the  remembrance  of  Harriet  and 
her  early  death.  They  love  to  identify  their  own  life  with  a 
life  they  so  justly  admire.  And  far  off  from  this  her  native 
village,  on  the  beautiful  banks  of  the  Merrimac — in  southern, 
sunny  climes — it  has  been  our  lot  to  meet  "  Harriet  Newells," 
so  named  from  the  esteem  and  love  that  Christian  mothers  bore 
to  this  first  American  missionary. 

Thus  wide  is  her  influence,  in  the  economy  of  Providence. 
,"  That  life  is  long  that  answers  life's  great  end."  The  closing 
history  of  Mrs.  Newell  serves  only  to  confirm  the  impression 
that  her  life  was  one  of  sincere  devotion  to  a  s:reat  and  good 
end. 

The  Savior,  to  whom  she  had  given  her  heart,  and  for  whom 
her  life  was  counted  not  dear,  accepted  the  service.  The  close 
of  her  earthly  career  was  a  delightful  illustration  of  the  truth, 
"  The  path  of  the  just  is  as  the  shining  light,  that  shineth 
more  and  more  unto  the  perfect  day." 

Her  heart  was  given  to  the  Savior,  whom  she  loved  ;  she  had 
gone  out  at  his  bidding ;  and  his  presence  and  love  were  her 
solace.  Life  had  no  object  but  to  do  the  will  of  G-od ;  and 
death  was  but  the  introduction  to  a  complete  fulfillment  of 
that  will. 

Happy  consecration  of  spirit  this !  A  death  over  which  no 
fears  were  gathered.  An  example  bright  with  Christian  hero- 
ism she  left  to  bless  mankind,  till  the  mission  of  mercy  to  the 
human  family  is  closed. 


ADONIRAM    JUDSON. 


Fac  Simile,  from  pniNXED  Page  sent  to  his  Sister. 

0031GC0  oScbii    cx)oSooiQCOc8cSii 


REV.  ADONIRAM  JUDSON,  D.D., 
MRS.  ANN  HASSELTINE  JUDSON, 
MRS.  SARAH  BOARDMAN  JUDSON, 

AMERICAN    BAPTIST    MISSIONARY    UNION. 

BY    REV.  S.  S.  CUTTING, 
Boston,  Mass. 

J.N  the  early  part  of  the  seventeenth  century,  a  vessel  ap- 
proached the  eastern  shore  of  what  is  now  the  Commonwealth 
of  Massachusetts,  bearing  a  precious  company  of  G-od's  elect, 
who  came  hither  to  plant  a  new  empire  amid  primeval  forests, 
and  to  extend  the  reign  of  Christ  over  wild  and  savage  men. 
Two  centuries  had  elapsed  when  another  vessel  departed  from 
those  same  shores,  hearing,  in  the  persons  of  four  missionaries, 
and  in  the  solemn  consecration  to  Christ  and  his  cause,  of  which 
this  self-denying  zeal  was  the  fruit  and  the  witness,  the  germs 
and  the  pledge  of  spiritual  and  immortal  harvests,  to  he  reaped 
amid  the  old  idolatries  of  the  Eastern  World.     These  missiona- 


96  REV.  ADONIRAM  JUDSON. 

lies,  who  sailed  from  Salem  on  the  19th  of  February,  1813, 
were  Adoniram  and  Ann  H.  Judson,  and  Samuel  and  Harriet 
Newell.  It  is  the  purpose  of  this  paper  to  sketch,  without 
minuteness  of  detail,  the  career  of  the  first  of  these  distin- 
guished personages,  and  of  the  two  illustrious  women  who  were 
successively  the  partners  of  his  life  and  labors. 

Adoniram  Judson,  Junior,  was  born  at  Maiden,  Massachu- 
setts, August  9th,  1788.  The  son  of  pious  parents,  his  father 
a  Congregational  clergyman,  he  was  religiously  educated,  but 
until  he  had  grown  up  to  manhood  he  gave  no  evidence  of  a 
religious  character.  He  was  graduated  at  Brown  University 
in  1807,  with  the  highest  honor,  and  won  applause  by  the 
manner  in  which  he  acquitted  himself  on  that  occasion.  Dur- 
ing his  college  course  he  was  ambitious  to  excel,  and  there 
was  a  certain  imperiousness  in  his  manner  which  kept  others 
from  intimate  associations  with  him.  He  was  probably  aware 
of  his  intellectual  superiority,  and  intended  that  others  should 
be  aware  of  it  likewise.  He  was  in  precisely  the  right  frame 
of  mind  to  drink  in  the  prevailing  infidelity  which  gained  such 
wide  sway  during  the  period  of  the  French  Revolution,  and 
which  even  at  this  time  poisoned  thousands  of  cultivated  minds. 
And  yet  there  were  qualities  of  his  mind  which  forbade  his 
taking  upon  trust  a  denial  of  Christianity,  however  agreeable 
that  denial  might  be  to  his  complacent  pride.  He  had  com- 
menced a  tour  of  the  United  States,  but  the  thought  that  he 
had  never  intelligently  settled  the  claims  of  the  Christian  re- 
ligion arrested  him  on  his  journey,  and  turned  his  steps  back- 
ward to  his  father's  house.  Here  he  commenced  the  study  of 
the  evidences,  and  these,  with  the  reading  of  Boston's  "  Four- 
fold State,"  from  which  he  derived  new  views  of  the  Christian 


REV.  ADO  NIR  AM  J  V  D  S  O  N.  (\J 

system,  agitated  his  mind  to  its  depths,  and  precluded  the  pos- 
sibility of  peace  till  he  found  it  in  Christ. 

While  still  pursuing  religious  investigations,  and  acknowl- 
edging that  he  had  no  evidence  of  personal  participation  in  the 
blessings  of  the  Grospel,  he  applied  for  admission  into  the  The- 
ological Seminary  at  Andover,  then  recently  established.  The 
rules  requiring  personal  piety  were  suspended  in  his  case,  and 
he  was  admitted.  In  this  sacred  retreat  he  was  soon  enabled 
to  surrender  himself  to  Christ,  and  to  find  that  peace  in  him 
for  which  his  agitated  and  stricken  heart  had  been  so  earnestly 
seeking. 

It  was  not  in  the  nature  of  Adoniram  Judson,  which  God 
had  fitted  for  great  achievements,  to  tread  an  ordinary  path. 
His  comprehensive  and  earnest  powers  demanded  a  wide  field 
and  a  great  work.  Just  at  this  time.  Divine  Providence  placed 
in  his  way  Buchanan's  ''  Star  in  the  East,"  and  the  reading  of 
that  discourse,  which  created  a  profound  sensation  throughout 
the  religious  world,  awakened  in  his  mind  a  desire  to  give  him- 
self personally  to  the  work  of  missions.  We  have  little  idea  at 
this  day  of  the  difficulties  which  at  that  time  lay  between  such 
a  desire  and  its  realization.  True,  the  essential  spirit  of  mis- 
sions had  been  awakened  in  every  regenerated  heart,  and  every 
sincere  utterer  of  the  Lord's  Prayer  had  breathed  forth  a  pe- 
tition for  the  spread  and  triumph  of  the  Grospel.  True,  the 
missionary  endeavors. of  British  Christians  had  been  recorded 
in  newspapers  and  magazines,  and  the  intelligence  of  them, 
which  had  been  widely  spread  among  the  American  Churches, 
had  awakened  considerable  interest,  and  had  even  called  forth 
responses  in  the  shape  of  pecuniary  contributions.  But  the 
whole  subject  rested  vaguely  in  the  minds  of  most  Christians 

a 


93  REV.  ADONIRAM  JUDSON. 

in  this  country,  and  there  was  no  organization  in  existence  here 
under  whose  patronage  a  missionary  could  be  sent  abroad.  The 
foundations  of  that  vast  and  comprehensive  enterprise,  which, 
resting  upon  the  prayers  and  contributions  of  the  churches  and 
on  the  promises  of  God,  has  sent  forth  many  hundreds  of  mis- 
sionaries to  the  most  distant  lands,  and  embraces  under  its  pro- 
tection and  spiritual  guidance  many  thousands  of  converts,  were 
yet  to  be  laid. 

Mr.  Judson  was  not  alone  in  the  desires  to  which  we  have 
alluded.  The  Holy  Spirit  had  been  working  in  other  minds 
and  hearts,  and  when  the  subjects  of  these  influences  disclosed 
to  each  other  their  views,  they  found  in  their  breasts  an  iden- 
tity of  experience  w^hich  confirmed  their  convictions  of  duty, 
and  settled  their  purpose  to  give  themselves  up  to  Christ  in 
the  missionary  work.  It  would  seem  impossible  that  them- 
selves or  others  should  fail  to  recognize  in  that  experience  a 
divine  call,  or  that  under  such  leadings  the  churches  should 
fail  to  take  up  and  sustain  the  work  to  which  they  were  sum- 
moned. God  would  take  to  himself  the  glory  of  American 
missions  to  the  heathen,  by  putting  his  own  seal  upon  their 
origin  and  early  developments.  In  view  of  the  difficulties 
arising  from  the  fact  that  no  missionary  organization  existed 
in  this  country,  Mr.  Judson  at  an  early  day  wrote  to  the  Lon- 
don Missionary  Society,, disclosing  his  views  and  seeking  in- 
formation, and  he  had  even  meditated  the  offer  of  his  services 
to  that  society.  But  events  were  ripening  here  at  home.  The 
young  men  at  Andover,  whose  vows  have  been  not  unfittingly 
compared  to  those  which  three  centuries  earlier  were  made  in 
the  chapel  at  Montmartre,  in  compliance  with  the  advice  of 
the  professors  and  others,  determined  on  decisive  action,  and 


REV.  ADONIRAM  JUDSON.  99 

in  the  month  of  June,  1810,  a  memorial,  drawn  up  by  Mr.  Jud- 
son,  and  signed  by  himself  and  Samuel  Nott,  Junior,  Samuel 
J.  Mills,  and  Samuel  Newell,  was  laid  before  the  General  As- 
sociation at  Bradford  :  the  result  is  well  known.  After  the 
most  mature  deliberation,  a  Board  was  appointed,  which,  under 
the  name  of  the  "American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign 
Missions,"  was  fully  organized,  in  the  autumn  of  the  same  year, 
at  Farmington,  Connecticut. 

Under  the  direction  of  the  Board,  Mr.  Judson  sailed  for  En- 
gland, to  consult  with  the  directors  of  the  London  Missionary 
Society  concerning  an  arrangement  for  co-operation  by  a  joint 
superintendence  and  support  of  missionaries  appointed  by  the 
Board  in  this  country.  The  vessel  in  which  he  embarked  was 
captured  by  a  French  privateer,  and  Mr.  Judson  was  for  a  while 
detained  prisoner  at  Bayonne.  At  first,  through  the  influence 
of  an  American  gentleman  released  on  parole,  he  at  length  re- 
ceived passports  from  the  emperor,  and  reached  England.  The 
co-operation  suggested  by  the  American  Board  was  declined, 
though  the  London  Directors  were  ready  to  receive  Mr.  Judson 
and  his  associates  under  their  patronage,  if  they  should  fail  of 
support  in  their  own  country. 

Meanwhile,  the  prospects  of  the  American  Board  had  assumed 
a  brighter  hue.  Impelled  to  independent  action,  they  determ- 
ined to  commence  their  work,  and  at  the  meeting  at  Worces- 
ter, in  September,  1811,  Messrs.  Judson,  Hall,  Newell,  and  Nott 
received  appointment  as  missionaries,  and  were  designated  to 
the  Burmese  Empire,  or  some  contiguous  territory  beyond  Brit- 
ish jurisdiction.  This  action  was  taken  on  the  urgent  solicit- 
ation of  Mr.  Judson  and  one  of  his  missionary  brethren,  who 
were  impatient  to  reach  the  scene  of  their  labors,  and  who  were 


J_QQ  MRS   ANN  HASSELTINE  JUnSON 

apprehensive  of  difficulties  which  might  arise  from  the  impend- 
ing war  with  Great  Britain. 

It  was  during  the  session  of  the  Association  at  Bradford,  in 
1810,  that  Mr.  Judson  for  the  first  time  saw  Miss  Hasseltine, 
who  became  the  partner  of  his  early  missionary  toils. 

Ann  Hasseltine,  daughter  of  Mr.  John  and  Mrs.  Rebecca 
Hasseltine,  was  born  at  Bradford,  Massachusetts,  December 
22d,  1789.  Her  early  years  were  distinguished  by  the  quali- 
ties which,  sanctified  by  her  devotion  to  Christ,  at  a  later  day 
placed  her  name  among  the  most  illustrious  of  her  sex.  Her 
mind  was  strong,  active,  and  clear ;  her  spirits  buoyant,  her 
attachments  ardent,  and  her  fertility  of  resources  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  her  purposes  amazing  and  infallible.  She  was 
dignified  and  even  commanding  in  her  bearing,  and  yet  was 
affable  and  winning.  It  is  difficult  to  say  whether  fortitude 
or  benevolence  were  the  ascendant  trait  in  her  character,  to 
such  an  extent  did  she  mingle  the  sterner  powers  with  the 
most  gentle  and  womanly  affections.  Indeed,  she  appears  to 
have  been  specially  raised  up  for  the  sphere  in  which  she  illus- 
trated the  highest  virtues  of  the  woman  and  the  Christian. 
Her  education  at  Bradford  Academy  seems  to  have  been  ample 
and  thorough.  Her  mind  was  well  disciplined,  and  her  acqui- 
sitions large.  She  pursued  her  studies  with  the  same  ardor 
and  intenseness  with  which  she  gave  herself  to  all  her  pursuits 
and  plans.  Her  intellectual  culture  became  an  indispensable 
aid  in  the  important  part  which  she  was  subsequently  called 
to  perform. 

We  infer  from  her  own  testimony  that  her  early  religious 
training  was  imperfect.  She  was  not  accustomed  to  "  discrim- 
inating preaching ;"  and  her  mother,  "  at  that  time  ignorant 


ANN  H.  JUDSON 


MRS.  ANN  HASSELTINE  JUDSON.  ]^Q3 

Fac  Simile  from  Letter  to  Dr.  Judson,  dated  Liverpool,  August  11th,  1822. 


^^^-.^r^ 


«->-^ 


x^C€--7-'r-7  , 


t_<;^^-*-7   ly^^^' 


of  the  nature  of  true  religion,"  though  she  had  taught  her 
daughter  to  say  her  prayers  and  to  abstain  from  the  vices  of 
prevarication  and  disobedience,  and  that  she  must  be  a  good 
child  if  she  would  escape  hell  and  go  to  heaven,  had  probably 
communicated  very  imperfect  views  of  human  sinfulness  and 
the  way  of  salvation.  Indeed,  Mrs.  Judson  speaks  of  the  virtue 
to  which  she  attained  under  this  instruction  as  pharisaical ; 
and  when  awakened  by  the  Holy  Spirit  to  a  sense  of  her  sins, 
she  testifies  that  "  she  felt  herself  as  perfectly  ignorant  of  the 
nature  of  true  religion  as  the  very  heathen."  Her  first  serious 
attention  to  the  subject  of  religion  was  occasioned  by  opening 
Hannah  More's  Strictures  on  Female  Education,  and  casting 
her  eye  on  the  passage,  printed  in  italics,  "  -SAe  that  liveth  in 
pleasure^  is  dead  while  she  liveth^     It  is  often  said  of  Bun- 


yQ_^  M R  S.  A  yy  HA  S S E L  TI NE  JUDSO N. 

yan,  that  he  would  never  have  been  qualified  for  the  work 
which  he  performed,  had  it  not  been  for  the  peculiar  and  won- 
derful process  through  which  he  passed  in  his  conversion. 
Mrs.  Judson  was  a  very  different  character,  and  her  conversion 
was  marked  by  very  different  features  ;  but  it  bore  the  same 
relation  substantially  to  the  mission  which  she  subsequently 
fulfilled.  It  was  marked  by  striking  tokens  of  the  divine  pres- 
ence and  grace,  working  the  most  thorough  self-abasement  and 
self-renunciation,  and  the  most  cordial  and  confiding  trust  in 
the  Redeemer.  Though  unused  to  "  discriminating  preach- 
ing," her  theological  views,  which  evidently  were  understood 
by  herself,  and  received  on  intelligent  grounds,  were  remark- 
ably scriptural,  harmonizing  very  nearly  with  those  of  Ed- 
wards and  his  school.  Edwards  on  Redemption  is  mentioned 
as  a  work  by  which  she  was  specially  "  instructed,  quickened, 
and  strengthened."  Her  face  kindled  with  joy  while  she  spoke 
of  its  "precious  contents."  Indeed,  her  conversion,  and  her 
establishment  in  a  life  of  faith,  as  she  has  herself  narrated  it, 
might  with  great  advantage  be  recommended  to  inquirers  as 
indicating  the  method  of  the  sinner's  acceptance  with  Grod. 

This  great  change  in  her  character  occurred  in  the  seven- 
teenth  year  of  her  age.  Her  growth  in  grace  was  surprisingly 
rapid.  Thus  early,  according  to  the  testimony  of  her  sister, 
which  we  now  have  before  us,  she  attained  the  "  full  assur- 
ance of  hope."  "  I  have  seasons  of  feeling,"  she  said  to  one 
of  them,  "  that  I  do  sit  at  the  feet  of  my  Savior,  weeping  for 
my  sinfulness,  and  that  I  do  choose  him  for  my  '  Prophet,  Priest, 
and  King.'  At  these  seasons  I  have  felt  that  if  my  soul  was 
lost,  the  whole  plan  of  salvation  must  fail,  so  conscious  am  I 
of  loving  him,  and  giving  myself  to  him  in  his  appointed  way." 


MRS.  Ayy  HASSELTINE  JUDSOX.  J^Qg 

On  the  subject  of  unreserved  submission,  she  remarked  to  the 
same  sister,  "  I  have  seasons  w^hen  I  feel  that  I  have  given  my- 
self unreservedly  to  the  Savior,  to  be  disposed  of  as  he  sees 
best  for  time  and  eternity."  On  being  asked  "  if  she  was  will- 
ing to  be  lost,"  she  replied,  "  I  am  not  willing  to  be  an  enemy 
of  Grod  ;  with  this  submissive  spirit  I  could  not  be  unhappy, 
however  he  might  dispose  of  me." 

Nor  was  she  attaining  these  large  measures  of  inward  grace 
and  comfort  without  manifesting  her  love  to  Christ  by  her  act- 
ive devotion  to  his  service.  The  zeal  which  made  her  a  mis- 
sionary abroad  first  made  her  a  missionary  at  home.  "  From 
the  time  of  her  conversion,"  we  are  told,  "  till  her  departure 
from  the  country,  she  rarely  spent  half  an  hour  in  any  company 
without  introducing  the  subject  of  personal  religion.  Besides 
availing  herself  of  these  opportunities  for  doing  good,  she  often 
dispatched  the  labors  of  the  day  with  astonishing  alacrity,  and 
stole  out  to  visit  some  neighbor,  where  she  would  sit  long,  and 
with  all  the  earnestness  of  her  nature  urge  the  duty  of  personal 
devotion  to  Christ.  In  this  manner  she  visited  nearly  every 
family  in  a  wide  circle  around  her  home.  Once,  when  she  had 
gone  to  watch  with  an  aged  sick  lady,  she  urged  the  subject 
of  religion  upon  the  invalid,  and  upon  another  aged  lady  pres- 
ent, telling  them  of  their  need  of  an  interest  in  Christ,  since 
by  nature  they  were  enemies  of  Grod.  "  Oh  no,  miss,"  one  of 
them  replied,  "you  are  young  yet;  you  do  not  understand 
these  things ;  nobody  can  be  an  enemy  of  God."  On  the  Sab- 
bath it  was  her  custom  to  choose  out  some  one,  when  return- 
ing from  church,  and,  kindly  taking  the  arm  of  her  companion 
so  chosen,  endeavor  to  awaken  religious  reflections. 

It  is  impossible  for  us,  within  our  narrow  limits,  to  multiply 


]^06  ^^^■'^    ^^^  HASSELTINE  JUDSON. 

illustrations  of  her  character  at  this  period  of  her  life.  It  must 
be  sufficient  to  say  that  with  enough  of  fluctuations  in  the  tone 
of  her  feelings  to  link  her  experience  with  that  of  believers  gen- 
erally, she  had  nevertheless  attained  to  extraordinary  measures 
of  knowledge  and  grace  while  thus  young  in  years,  and  in  the 
very  morning  of  her  religious  course.  Nor  were  these  early 
promises  unfulfilled  in  the  lapse  of  time.  They  were  rather 
the  signs  and  pledges  of  her  uniform  and  heroic  life.  Among 
her  personal  friends,  and  as  a  teacher  of  the  young,  an  employ- 
ment in  which  she  seems  to  have  engaged  from  her  deep  con- 
victions of  the  duty  of  a  useful  life,  she  illustrated  in  the  high- 
est degree  her  devotion  to  Christ,  preparing  herself,  under  a 
divine  guidance,  thovigh  most  unexpectedly  to  herself,  for  the 
broader  sphere  of  duty  to  which  she  was  to  be  summoned. 

Mr.  Judson's  acquaintance  with  Miss  Hasseltine,  in  1810,  re- 
sulted very  soon  after  in  an  offer  of  marriage  on  his  part,  and 
an  invitation  to  share  with  him  the  responsibilities  and  perils 
of  missionary  life.  To  an  American  woman  it  was  an  untried 
path,  beset  with  difl[iculties  and  dangers.  It  was  not  in  her 
nature  to  enter  it  without  a  thorough  consideration  of  any 
question  which  might  suitably  bear  upon  her  decision.  Mr, 
Judson,  with  an  honorable  manliness,  in  the  very  act  of  propos- 
ing to  her  and  to  her  parents  this  participation  in  missionary 
life,  portrayed  every  discouragement  in  its  truest  colors.  The 
struggles  through  which  her  own  mind  passed  in  arriving  at  a 
decision  she  has  faithfully  recorded,  and  they  furnish  a  beau- 
tiful tribute  to  her  delicacy  as  a  woman,  and  to  her  fortitude 
and  devotion  as  a  Christian.  Mr.  Judson's  offer  was  accepted, 
and  thus  were  brought  together  two  extraordinary  characters, 
most  remarkably  suited  to  each  other,  and  to  the  exalted  sphere 


MRS.    ANN  HASSELTINE  JUDSON.  ^Qn 

of  Christian  duty  to  which  they  were  assigned.  They  were 
married  at  Bradford,  February  5th,  1812.  Mr.  Judson,  with 
Messrs.  Newell,  Nott,  Hall,  and  Rice,  were  ordained  the  next 
day  at  Salem,  and  on  the  19th  of  the  same  month,  as  before 
stated,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Judson  embarked  for  Calcutta. 

The  Caravan,  with  this  precious  freight  on  board,  arrived  at 
Calcutta  June  ISth,  and  the  missionaries  soon  found  them- 
selves hospitably  lodged  with  Dr.  Carey  at  Serampore,  As  if 
to  prepare  them  for  the  severer  encounters  which  were  before 
them,  they  were  at  once  encompassed  by  difficulties,  arising 
from  the  hostility  to  missionary  operations  which  still  prevailed 
in  the  councils  of  the  East  India  Company.  Ordered  at  first 
to  return  to  America,  they  obtained  leave  to  sail  for  the  Isle  of 
France ;  but  as  two  only  could  be  accommodated  in  the  vessel 
which  was  about  to  sail,  this  retreat  was  yielded  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Newell,  the  health  of  the  latter  demanding  repose.  How 
soon  her  final  repose  was  found,  and  how  fragrant  the  recollec- 
tions of  her  which  abide  in  the  hearts  of  the  earlier  friends  of 
American  missions  I  The  hostility  of  the  East  India  Company 
did  not  slumber.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Judson  were  next  ordered  to 
take  passage  for  England.  Flying  from  their  persecutors,  how- 
ever, they  reached  by  hair-breadth  escapes  the  Isle  of  France, 
where  they  found  Mr.  Newell,  "heart-broken  and  disconsolate," 
scarcely  able  to  narrate  to  them  the  particulars  of  his  bereave- 
ment. But  they  could  find  no  permanent  stay.  Though  the 
governor  was  not  disposed  to  regard  a  notice  which  he  had  re- 
ceived from  Calcutta  to  look  after  them  as  suspected  persons, 
they  saw  here  no  desirable  opening  for  missionary  labors,  and 
revolved  again  the  question  of  their  destination.  "Oh  when 
will   my  wanderings  terminate  ?"   wrote  Mrs.  Judson  in  her 


108  MRS.    ANN  HASSELTINE   /UDSON. 

journal;  "when  shall  I  find  some  little  spot  that  I  can  call 
my  home  in  this  world  ?  Yet  I  rejoice  in  all  thy  dealings,  oh 
my  heavenly  Father,  for  thou  dost  support  me  under  every  trial, 
and  enable  me  to  lean  on  thee.  Thou  dost  make  me  to  feel 
the  sweetness  of  deriving  comfort  from  thee  when  worldly  com- 
forts fail.  Thou  dost  not  suffer  me  to  sink  down  in  despond- 
ency, but  enablest  me  to  look  forward  with  joy  to  a  state  of 
heavenly  rest  and  happiness.  Then  shall  I  have  to  wander  no 
more ;  the  face  of  Jesus  shall  be  unvailed,  and  I  shall  rest  in 
the  arms  of  love  through  all  eternity."  They  thought  of  Mad- 
agascar as  a  field  of  labor,  and  then  resolved  upon  Pinang,  to 
reach  which  they  embarked  for  Madras.  Here,  hoM^ever,  they 
were  again  within  the  territories  of  the  East  India  Company, 
and,  apprehensive  of  new  hostilities  from  that  quarter,  they 
took  refuge  on  board  an  unseaworthy  vessel  bound  to  Ran- 
goon ;  and  after  a  voyage  of  many  dangers,  found  themselves 
thus  strangely  led  by  divine  Providence  to  the  place  of  their 
original  destination — the  field  to  be  honored  by  their  subse- 
quent labors  and  triumphs. 

Not  long  after  their  arrival  in  Calcutta,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jud- 
son,  in  conformity  with  a  change  in  their  views  on  the  subject 
of  baptism,  had  been  baptized  by  Dr.  Carey,  and  received  to 
the  fellowship  of  the  Baptist  churches.  Their  letters,  as  well 
as  the  circumstances  attending  the  event,  attest  the  conscien- 
tiousness with  which  this  transfer  of  their  denominational  rela- 
tions was  attended. 

They  reached  Rangoon  in  July,  1813.  Mrs.  Judson  was  ex- 
hausted and  enfeebled  by  the  cares,  privations,  and  dangers 
through  which  she  had  passed  ;  and,  on  their  arrival  at  Ran- 
goon, was  unable  either  to  ride  on  horseback  or  to  walk  from 


MRS.    ANN  HASSELTINE  JUDSOX.  ^Qg 

the  shore.  Borne  on  the  shoulders  of  four  natives,  she  reached 
the  mission-house  of  Felix  Carey,  in  which  they  were  hospi- 
tably received  by  Mrs.  Carey,  her  husband  being  absent  at  the 
time,  and  where  they  found  a  home.  By  a  series  of  providen- 
tial events,  the  attempts  of  the  English  Baptist  and  other  mis- 
sionaries to  establish  a  mission  in  Burmah  had  failed  of  suc- 
cess, and  the  field,  forbidding  as  it  was,  came  now  under  the 
exclusive  care  of  American  Baptists,  to  whom  Mr.  Judson  had 
already  appealed,  and  who,  in  immediate  response,*  accepted 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Judson  as  missionaries.  Mrs.  Judson's  letters  and 
journal,  written  at  about  the  time  of  their  arrival  at  Rangoon, 
are  remarkable  for  the  strong  faith  which  they  indicate  amid 
hours  of  the  deepest  gloom  and  darkness.  She  seems  to  have 
possessed  the  clearest  evidences  of  her  being  personally  in  the 
path  of  duty,  and  to  have  anticipated  the  triumphs  of  the  Re- 
deemer's kingdom,  even  on  that  hostile  soil,  undisturbed  by  a 
doubt.  She  enjoyed  the  sweetest  and  most  intimate  commun- 
ion with  her  Lord,  and  trode  the  earth  as  more  than  half  the 
inhabitant  of  a  higher  sphere. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Judson,  once  established  in  Rangoon,  applied 
themselves  with  great  assiduity  to  the  acquisition  of  the  Bur- 
man  language.  They  had  good  teachers,  and,  considering  the 
difficulties  of  the  language,  made  rapid  progress.  Mrs.  .Judson, 
from  the  circumstance  that  she  had  assumed  all  family  cares, 
acquired  soonest  the  power  to  converse  ;  but  Mr.  Judson,  from 
his  manner  of  studying,  and  his  tastes  for  philological  research, 
gained  a  more  thorough  knowledge  of  the  structure  of  the 

*  The  Baptist  General  Convention  for  missionary  purposes,  now  tlie  Amer- 
ican Baptist  Missionary  Union,  was  formed  by  delegates  of  the  denomination 
assembled  at  Philadelphia,  April,  1814 


^IQ  MRS.  ANN  HASSELTINE   JUDSON. 

tongue.  A  long  time,  however,  passed  away  before  they  could 
accomplish  much  in  the  way  of  imparting  religious  instruction, 
and  when,  after  three  years  of  study,  Mr.  Judson  was  prepared 
to  make  a  beginning  with  the  work  of  translation,  he  found 
himself  worn  out  by  continuous  mental  application.  Mrs.  Jud- 
son had  already  been  obliged  to  seek  the  restoration  of  her 
health  by  a  voyage  to  Madras,  which  she  had  accomplished 
with  the  happiest  results,  and  Mr.  Judson  had  made  arrange- 
ments for  a  similar  relief,  when  the  Rev.  G-eorge  H.  Hough,  a 
missionary-printer,  arrived  to  re-enforce  the  mission,  bringing 
with  him  a  printing-press,  the  gift  of  the  Serampore  missiona- 
ries. Excited  to  new  efforts,  Mr.  Judson  gave  up  the  voyage  ; 
a  tract,  entitled  a  Summary  of  the  Christian  Religion,  and  a 
catechism,  were  soon  issued ;  and  the  Gospel  of  Matthew  was 
printed  in  the  course  of  the  following  year. 

During  the  period  when  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Judson  were  acquiring 
the  knowledge  of  the  language  and  of  the  people,  it  was  a  bless- 
ing of  great  moment  that  they  lived  on  terms  of  respect  and 
friendship  with  the  viceroy.  One  of  the  high  officers  is  spoken 
of  as  especially  considerate  and  friendly.  The  ladies  of  the 
palace  received  Mrs.  Judson  as  a  friend  and  equal — a  circum- 
stance which  might  at  some  time  be  to  the  advantage  of  the 
mission.  But,  though  treated  with  respect  by  the  authorities, 
and  respected,  too,  by  the  people,  it  was  for  a  long  time  that  they 
seemed  to  labor  utterly  in  vain.  The  moral  darkness  around 
them  was  dense  and  unbroken.  By  a  long  process  of  disap- 
pointments and  disasters,  Grod  had  disciplined  his  servants  for 
their  work,  and  now  he  would  show  them  how  utterly  feeble  and 
ineffectual  were  their  endeavors,  until  he  should  bestow  his 
blessing. 


MRS.  ANN  HAS.SELTINE   J  CI). SUN.  J^]^| 

Light  dawned  at  length.  In  March,  1817,  an  intelligent 
Burman,  accompanied  by  a  servant,  presented  himself  to  Mr. 
Judson  and  sat  down  by  his  side.  He  had  heard  no  living 
teacher,  but  he  had  read  the  publications  of  the  mission ; 
he  was  an  inquirer.  Hitherto,  conversations  on  religion  had 
been  of  Mr.  Judson's  proposing,  and  though  sometimes  he  was 
cheered  with  the  hope  that  truth  had  made  an  impression,  he 
had  until  now  met  no  individual  who  was  sufficiently  inter- 
ested in  the  Grospel  to  seek  an  acquaintance  with  it.  The  mis- 
sionaries saw,  more  and  more,  signs  of  promise  in  their  work. 
In  April,  1819,  the  first  zayat — an  edifice  which  is  both  a  car- 
avansary and  place  for  public  meetings — was  opened  for  Chris- 
tian worship  in  the  Burman  language,  and  on  the  5th  of  May 
Mr.  Judson  recorded  his  hope  that  the  first  convert  had  been 
won.  "  It  seems  almost  too  much  to  believe,"  said  the  faithful 
missionary,  after  seven  years  of  toil  and  prayer,  "  it  seems  al- 
most too  much  to  believe  that  Grod  has  begun  to  manifest  his 
grace  to  the  Burmans  ;  but  this  day  I  could  not  resist  the  de- 
lightful conviction  that  this  is  really  the  case.  Praise  and  glory 
be  to  his  name  for  evermore.  Amen."  Moung  Nau,  the  con- 
vert alluded  to,  was  baptized  June  27th. 

We  must  now  abandon  details  altogether,  and  confine  our- 
selves to  a  few  of  those  more  striking  incidents  which  marked 
the  career  of  Mr.  Judson.  Through  long  preliminary  labors 
the  mission  is  now  established,  and  its  first-fruits  are  gathered. 

In  November,  1819,  the  impression  made  by  the  labors  of 
the  missionaries  had  attracted  the  attention  of  the  local  author- 
ities, and  the  significant  solicitude  of^JJiose  authorities  had 
awakened  the  apprehensions  of  the  converts  and  inquirers.  An 
appeal  to  the  king  in  behalf  of  religious  toleration  seemed  the 


■^^2  MRS.  ANy  HASSELTINE   JUDSON 

only  hopeful  way  of  removing  the  fears  of  the  people,  and  ac- 
cordingly Mr.  Judson  and  Mr.  Colman  undertook  the  ascent  of 
the  Irrawaddy  to  the  capital  on  this  important  errand.  In  con- 
formity with  the  established  usages  of  Oriental  countries,  they 
bore  with  them  presents  for  the  king  and  his  officers  of  state, 
choosing  such  as  best  befitted  their  character  and  purpose.  For 
the  king  they  procured  a  copy  of  the  Bible,  elegantly  bound  in 
six  volumes,  each  volume  inclosed  in  a  rich  wrapper.  They 
reached  Ava  in  safety,  and, through  the  kind  offices  of  Mr.  Jud- 
son's  friend,  the  former  Viceroy  of  Rangoon,  they  were  admit- 
ted to  the  palace  with  less  than  the  usual  preliminary  difficul- 
ties. They  were  conducted,  "  through  various  splendor  and  pa- 
rade," to  a  flight  of  stairs,  the  ascent  of  which  brought  them 
to  a  lofty  hall,  magnificent  in  its  decorations,  and  extended 
through  long  lines  of  stately  pillars.  At  length  they  caught 
sight  of  the  modern  Ahasuerus,  approaching  in  the  distance, 
"  unattended — in  solitary  grandeur — exhibiting  the  proud  gait 
and  majesty  of  an  Eastern  monarch."  "  He  strided  on.  Every 
head,  excepting  ours,"  says  Mr.  Judson,  "  was  now  in  the  dust. 
We  remained  kneeling,  our  hands  folded,  our  eyes  fixed  on  the 
monarch.  When  he  drew  near,  we  caught  his  attention. 
•  Who  are  these  ?'  '  The  teachers,  great  king,'  I  replied. 
'  When  did  you  arrive  ?'  '  Are  you  teachers  of  religion  ?'  '  Are 
you  like  the  Portuguese  priests  ?'  '  Are  you  married  ?'  '  Why 
do  you  dress  so  V  "  The  missionaries  answered  these  and  other 
questions,  and  the  king  seemed  pleased.  He  sat  down  and 
listened  to  their  petition,  in  which  they  frankly  and  fully  stated 
their  character  and  purposes  as  Christian  missionaries.  He 
then  took  the  petition  himself,  and  read  it  through  deliberately 
without  saying  a  word.     When  he  had  read  this,  they  placed 


'I 


MRS.  ANN  HASSELTINE  JFOSON  J^J^g 

in  his  hands  a  small  tract  ilkistrative  of  the  Christian  religion. 
He  held  the  tract  long  enough  to  read  two  sentences  which  af- 
firmed the  existence  of  an  eternal  God,  who  is  independent  of 
the  incidents  of  mortality,  and  that  besides  him  there  is  no 
Grod.  This  was  enough.  He  dashed  the  writing  to  the  ground. 
An  attendant  attempted  to  aid  the  purpose  of  the  missionaries 
by  unfolding  the  elegant  volumes  which  were  designed  for  the 
king,  but  he  did  not  notice  them.  "  In  regard  to  the  objects 
of  your  petition,"  said  the  minister  of  state,  "  his  majesty  gives 
no  order.  In  regard  to  your  sacred  books,  his  majesty  has  no 
use  for  them — take  them  away."  Thus  ended  the  first  attempt 
to  secure  toleration  in  Burmah  ;  thus  the  monarch  of  that  coun- 
try treated  his  first  knowledge  of  the  only  true  God. 

The  missionaries,  when  they  had  ascertained  the  establish- 
ed policy  of  the  empire  in  regard  to  toleration,  were  satisfied 
that  they  had  made  a  mistake.  They  turned  away  from  the 
capital  depressed  and  anxious,  with  their  sole  trust  in  God. 
They  expected  to  find  the  disciples  even  more  disheartened 
than  themselves,  and  had  well-nigh  determined  to  cross  the 
line  into  Arracan,  that  they  might  pursue  their  work  under 
British  protection.  But,  to  their  grateful  surprise,  they  found 
the  disciples  undismayed,  and  standing  fast  in  the  faith.  Ac- 
cordingly, Mr.  and  Mrs.  Judson  remained  in  Rangoon,  Mr.  Col- 
man  repairing  to  Arracan,  that  there  might  be  a  retreat  in  case 
of  danger. 

The  missionary  work  went  on  with  encouraging  success.  A 
grammar  and  dictionary  were  completed,  and  the  Gospel  of 
Matthew  and  several  tracts  had  been  issued  from  the  press. 
Several  converts  had  been  added  to  the  Church,  making  ten 
in  all  at  the  close  of  the  year  1820. 

H 


JJ4  ^^^^-  ^^^^  HASSELTINE  JUDSOI\'. 

In  the  summer  of  1821,  the  continued  ill  health  of  Mrs. 
Judson  requiring  further  relief,  she  embarked  for  America,  b\ 
the  way  of  England.     Amid  the  discomforts  of  a  sea  voyage 
and   suffering   from  disease,  she  forgot  not  her  duties  as  a 
Christian,  and  kindly  and  faithfully  labored  for  the  salvation 
of  the  ladies  who  were  her  companions  on  ship-board.     Arrived 
in  England,  she  was  received  into  the  house  of  Mr.  Joseph  But- 
terworth,  M.P.,  where  she  enjoyed  the  most  delightful  inter- 
course with  Christian  friends,  and  enlisted  a  larger  measure  of 
sympathy  for  the  missionary  cause.     Among  those  whose  ac- 
quaintance she  made  in  England  were  Wilberforce,  Babing- 
ton,  and  Sumner,  the  king's  chaplain.     She  embarked  from 
England  in  August,  and  arrived  in  this  country  in  the  month 
of  September.     Here  she  was  the  object  of  the  most  distin- 
guished attentions,  and  here,  by  her  personal  appeals  and  in- 
fluence, and  by  the  publication  of  her  History  of  the  Burman 
Mission,  she  contributed  largely  to  the  increase  of  missionary 
zeal  in  the  American  Churches.     We  have  observed  with  in- 
terest that,  in  one  of  her  letters  to  Dr.  Wayland,  she  urged 
upon  him,  in  the  strongest  language,  the  duty  of  preaching 
much  and  earnestly  on  the  subject  of  missions.     May  it  not  be 
that  her  influence  contributed  to  the  production  of  that  remark- 
able sermon  on  the  Moral  Dignity  of  the  Missionary  Enter- 
prise, delivered  in  the  autumn  of  the  same  year,  which  not 
only  at  once  established  the  fame  of  the  preacher  as  among 
the  most  elegant  of  our  writers,  but  gained  for  the  cause  also, 
in  every  circle  of  society,  a  new  measure  of  admiration  and  in- 
terest ?     In  the  spring  of  1823,  with  her  health  but  partially 
restored,  she  embarked  for  Calcutta,  accompanied  by  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wade,  and  reached  Rangoon  in  the  autumn  of  the  same 
year. 


MRS.  Ayy  HASSELTINE  JUDSON  -^^^ 

Events  were  rapidly  hastening  to  a  crisis.  Mrs.  Judson, 
while  in  this  country,  seemed  to  have  observed  almost  prophet- 
ically the  gloomy  shadows  of  that  crisis,  hut  she  was  undis- 
mayed, and  returned  to  her  post  with  the  true  martyr  spirit. 
During  her  absence,  the  number  of  converts  had  been  nearly 
doubled,  and  Mr.  Judson  had  completed  a  translation  of  the 
New  Testament,  as  well  as  an  epitome  of  the  Old.  The  ar- 
rival of  Dr.  Price  soon  after  her  departure,  and  the  information 
at  court  of  his  skill  as  a  physician,  had  occasioned  a  summons 
from  Ava  which  brought  Mr.  Judson  and  his  new  missionary 
associate  into  the  presence  of  the  king,  and  an  order  that  the 
missionaries  should  remain  at  the  capital,  where  land  was  given 
them  on  which  to  erect  dwellings.  These  arrangements  hav- 
ing  been  made,  Mr.  Judson  descended  the  river  to  Rangoon, 
where  he  met  Mrs.  Judson,  with  whom  he  soon  returned  to 
Ava,  leaving  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wade  with  Mr.  Hough  to  carry  for- 
ward the  work  at  the  old  station.  For  a  while  Mr.  Judson  pro- 
ceeded with  his  missionary  labors  at  the  capital,  but  no  time 
had  elapsed  for  the  gathering  of  fruits  before  the  sudden  break- 
ing out  of  war  between  the  British  East  India  Company  and 
the  Burmese  government  brought  upon  the  missionaries  and 
other  foreign  residents  of  Ava  perils,  privations,  and  sufferings, 
such  as  language  is  hardly  adequate  to  record.  For  nearly 
two  years  no  tidings  came  of  their  fate.  Whether  this  lack  of 
intelligence  was  a  mere  incident  of  the  war,  or  whether  they 
had  at  once  fallen  victims  to  the  jealousy  of  an  implacable 
despot,  or  were  still  surviving  in  chains  and  sorrow,  were  pain- 
ful questions  of  which  no  solution  could  be  gained.  The 
deepest  anxiety  during  this  long  period  possessed  the  hearts 
of  American  Christians,  and  when  at  length  tidings  came  of 


j'jg  MRS.  ANN  HASSELTINE  JUDSON. 

their  safety,  the  joy  and  thanksgiving  were  universal.  The 
record  of  their  sufferings,  unsurpassed  by  any  narrative  of  fic- 
tion, was  written  by  Mrs.  Judson,  and  will  remain  through 
successive  ages  one  of  the  most  exciting  chapters  of  mission- 
ary history.  To  abbreviate  it,  or  to  attempt  a  sketch  in  other 
language,  may  be  permitted  only  under  the  sternest  necessity, 
and  the  best  success  will  poorly  compare  with  the  graphic 
original.* 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Judson  received  their  first  certain  intelligence 
of  the  war  as  they  were  approaching  Ava,  and  on  their  arrival 
found  themselves  regarded  with  some  coldness  by  the  king  and 
court.  On  the  23d  of  May,  1824,  the  fall  of  Rangoon  was 
made  known  at  Ava,  and,  though  the  proud  monarch  did  not 
doubt  his  power  to  repel  and  punish  the  British,  the  necessity 
of  large  military  preparations  was  admitted,  and  intense  ex- 
citement prevailed  at  the  palace.  Golden  chains  were  pre- 
pared in  which  to  bring  to  Ava  the  captive  governor  general, 
and  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  court  anticipated  the  service 
of  English  slaves  as  attendants  !  The  soldiers  embarked  in 
high  glee,  ignorant  of  the  irresistibleness  of  scientific  warfare, 
and  looking  for  an  easy  victory  over  barbarians  and  cowards. 

No  sooner  had  the  army  embarked  than  suspicions  arose  of 
the  presence  of  spies,  and  three  Englishmen  residing  at  Ava 
were  forthwith  arrested  and  examined.  In  this  examination 
it  was  found  that  the  accounts  of  one  of  them  showed  consid- 
erable sums  of  money  paid  to  Mr.  Judson  and  Dr.  Price,  and, 
ignorant  of  the  methods  of  transmitting  funds  practiced  by 
Europeans  and  Americans,  the  government  found  in  this  fact 

*  Letter  of  Mrs.  Ann  H.  Judson  to  Dr.  Elnathan  Judson,  Knowles's  Memoir, 
p.  282-324. 


MRS.  ANN  HASSELTINE  JUDSON.  |j^r^ 

what  it  deemed  evidence  of  their  complicity  with  the  English 
in  the  war.  On  the  8th  of  June,  Mr.  Judson  was  suddenly  ar- 
rested at  his  dwelling  by  a  posse  of  officers,  one  of  whom, 
known  by  his  "  spotted  face,"  was  an  executioner.  Throw- 
ing Mr.  Judson  upon  the  floor,  they  bound  him  with  cords,  an- 
swering the  importunity  of  his  wife  on  his  behalf  with  threats 
to  take  her  also.  She  offered  the  "  spotted  face"  money  to 
loosen  the  cords,  but  he  spurned  the  gift  and  dragged  away 
his  victim,  pausing  at  a  few  rods'  distance  to  tighten  the  in- 
struments of  torture.  The  faithful  disciple,  Moung  Ing,  fol- 
lowed, to  trace  the  teacher's  steps,  and  to  procure,  if  possible, 
a  mitigation  of  his  sufferings.  He  returned  with  the  intelli- 
gence that  the  order  of  the  king  had  consigned  Mr.  Judson  to 
the  death-prison  ;  he  saw  no  more.  Next  Mrs.  Judson  found 
herself  a  prisoner  in  her  own  house,  the  magistrate  of  the  place 
summoning  her  to  the  veranda  for  examination.  Hastily  de- 
stroying all  letters  and  papers  in  her  possession,  lest  they  should 
disclose  the  fact  that  she  and  her  husband  had  correspondents 
in  England,  and  had  taken  notes  of  all  occurrences  which  they 
had  witnessed  in  the  country,  she  submitted  to  the  scrutiny 
of  her  inquisitor,  who  left  her  under  the  guard  of  ten  ruffians, 
whom  he  charged  to  keep  her  safe.  Night  came,  and  dark- 
ness. Barring  herself  and  her  four  little  Burman  girls  in  an 
inner  room,  she  was  ordered  by  the  guards  to  open  the  doors 
and  come  out,  or  they  would  tear  the  house  down.  Partly, 
however,  by  threats,  and  partly  by  bribes,  she  quieted  them  so 
far  that  they  let  her  alone,  carousing,  however,  through  all  the 
night,  and  pouring  forth  the  most  diabolical  language  to  which 
she  had  ever  listened. 

This  dreadful  night  of  personal  danger,  and  of  painful  appre- 


22g  MRS.  ANN  HASSELTINE  JUDSON. 

hensions  as  to  her  husband's  fate,  was  but  the  beginning  of 
sorrows.  The  next  morning,  Moung  Ing  brought  to  her  the 
information  that  her  husband  and  all  the  white  foreigners  were 
confined  in  the  death-prison,  with  three  pairs  of  iron  fetters 
each,  subsequently  increased  to  five,  and  fastened  to  a  pole  to 
prevent  their  moving.  She  entreated  the  magistrate  for  leave 
to  go  to  some  member  of  the  government  in  behalf  of  her  hus- 
band, and  wrote  a  letter  to  her  friend,  the  king's  sister,  but  in 
vain.  Night  found  her  a  prisoner  still.  On  the  third  day,  a 
message  to  the  governor  of  the  city,  expressing  her  desire  to 
appear  before  him  with  a  present,  resulted  in  an  order  for  her 
release.  G-ifts  wrung  from  the  wretched  woman  secured  the 
promise  of  an  amelioration  of  her  husband's  sufferings,  and  per- 
mission to  visit  him  in  prison,  and,  by  the  same  means,  all  the 
prisoners  were  delivered  from  their  suffocating  confinement, 
and  placed  in  an  open  shed  within  the  prison  inclosure.  Hith- 
er she  sent  food  and  mats  for  them  all,  commencing  those  an- 
gelic ministries  to  the  sufferers  which  have  rendered  her  name 
immortal.  Next,  her  hopes  were  raised  by  the  prospect  of  a 
successful  petition  to  the  queen  ;  then  came  the  confiscation  of 
Mr.  Judson's  effects,  the  most  exact  lists  of  them  being  made 
by  officers  in  attendance.  Fertile  in  resources,  she  secreted  a 
considerable  sum  of  money,  alike  indispensable  to  her  support 
and  to  any  successful  intervention  in  behalf  of  her  husband, 
and  saved,  likewise,  numerous  articles,  which,  during  the  long 
imprisonment,  proved  to  be  of  inestimable  value.  Then  fol- 
lowed the  dashing  of  all  her  hopes  by  the  refusal  of  the  queen 
to  interfere.  Again  she  was  refused  admittance  to  her  hus- 
band, and  the  sufferings  of  the  prisoners  were  increased ;  and 
again  relief  to  them  was  purchased  by  her  judicious  use  of 


MRS.  Ayy  HASSELTINE  JVDSOy.  ^^t) 

presents.  Month  after  month  passed  away,  during  which  this 
incomparable  woman  employed  her  time  in  devising  and  exe- 
cuting measures  for  the  comfort  of  the  prisoners,  and  specially 
for  the  release  of  her  husband,  scarcely  a  day  passing  in  which 
she  did  not  visit  some  member  of  the  government  or  some 
branch  of  the  royal  family  ;  with  no  other  effect,  however,  than 
that  she  and  the  objects  of  her  solicitude  were  kept  from  de- 
spair by  the  encouraging  promises  of  the  capricious  court.  No 
one  dared  approach  the  despot  on  the  throne  in  favor  of  a  for- 
eigner while  the  English  were  on  their  successful  march  to- 
ward Ava. 

An  incident  connected  with  this  imprisonment  remained  to 
the  end  of  his  life  among  Dr.  Judson's  most  vivid  recollections. 
Seven  months  of  these  privations  and  sufferings  had  passed 
away,  during  which  Mrs.  Judson  had  used  her  inexhaustible 
resources  of  talents  and  influence  in  ministering  to  the  neces- 
sities of  the  prisoners,  meeting  extortion  and  oppression  with 
gifts,  and  capricious  and  vexatious  orders  with  extra  fees,  and 
conciliating  the  good  will  of  those  in  power  by  her  intelligence 
and  eloquent  persuasion.  "  Oh,  how  many,  many  times,"  says 
Mrs.  Judson,  in  her  letter  to  her  brother,  "  have  I  returned  from 
that  dreary  prison  at  nine  o'clock  at  night  [a  distance  of  two 
miles],  solitary,  and  worn  out  with  fatigue  and  anxiety,  and 
thrown  myself  in  that  same  rocking-chair  which  you  and  Dea- 
con L.  provided  for  me  in  Boston,  and  endeavored  to  invent 
some  new  scheme  for  the  release  of  the  prisoners." 

At  this  period  occurred  the  birth  of  her  daughter.  Twenty 
days  after  that  event  she  was  again  at  the  prison  door,  with 
the  child  in  her  arms,  begging  for  admission.  The  prison  was 
a  rough  building,  like  a  New  England  barn  of  former  clays, 


j^20  MRS.  ANN  HASSELTINE  JUDSON. 

without  ceiling  or  lining  of  any  kind,  without  windows,  or 
even  an  aperture  for  air.  There  were  in  the  prison  about  one 
hundred  prisoners,  mostly  Burmese,  many  of  them  in  the  stocks, 
or  otherwise  tortured.  The  group  nearest  the  door  was  com- 
posed of  ten  foreigners — two  Americans,  three  Englishmen,  two 
Armenians,  one  Spaniard,  and  one  Portuguese  priest.  Their 
clothing  was  reduced  to  shirts  and  trowsers.  They  wore  five 
pairs  of  fetters  each  upon  their  ankles,  and  were  further  con- 
fined by  a  bamboo,  as  before  mentioned,  passing  between  their 
legs,  and  confined  to  the  two  outside  men ;  so  that  they  could 
sit  or  lie,  each  one  at  his  pleasure,  but  could  move  only  by  a 
common  effort.  The  wretched  men  were  in  this  condition, 
when  suddenly  the  door  opened,  and  Mrs.  Judson,  clad  in  Bur- 
mese costume,  which  she  had  adopted  for  safety's  sake,  stood 
before  her  husband  with  their  little  child,  unconscious  of  its 
parents'  woes.  Behind  her  stood  the  faithful  Moung  Ing,  and 
by  her  side  the  diabolical  "  spotted  face."  She  was  not  per- 
mitted to  enter,  and,  as  the  father  struggled  to  receive  the  pre- 
cious gift,  his  companions  in  misery,  impelled  by  an  instant 
benevolence,  seconded  his  wishes  by  a  simultaneous  movement 
toward  the  door.  It  is  not  strange  that  such  a  scene  was  im- 
pressed indelibly  on  Mr.  Judson's  mind,  nor  that  the  artist  has 
found  in  it  a  striking  subject  for  his  pencil. 

But  new  miseries  were  yet  in  store.  The  hot  season  had 
now  come,  and  the  close  confinement  of  the  prisoners  was 
scarcely  to  be  endured.  New  severities  were  practiced,  and 
the  unremitted  exertions  of  Mrs.  Judson  failed  to  procure  more 
than  the  slightest  alleviations.  Even  the  governor  of  the  city, 
to  whom  she  was  indebted  for  many  friendly  offices,  resisted 
her  appeals  until  her  husband  was  prostrated  with  fever,  when 


MRS.  ANN  HASSELTINE  JUDSON.  J^gS 

he  ordered  his  removal  to  a  bamboo  hovel,  "  a  palace  in  com- 
parison with  the  place  he  had  left."  Three  days  afterward, 
the  governor  sent  for  her  in  great  haste,  detaining  her  with  in- 
quiries about  his  watch,  while  her  husband  and  all  the  other 
white  prisoners  were  removed  she  knew  not  whither.  She  ran 
in  every  direction,  making  inquiries  in  vain,  until  at  length 
she  learned  from  an  old  woman  that  they  had  gone  toward 
Amarapoora,  the  old  capital,  distant  six  miles.  "You  can  do 
nothing  for  your  husband,"  said  the  governor ;  adding,  kindly 
and  significantly,  ^Hake  care  of  yourself P  She  was  satisfied 
that  there  was  danger,  but  she  was  not  to  be  deterred  from  her 
purpose.  She  obtained  a  passport,  and  the  next  morning,  with 
her  child,  the  two  Burmese  children,  and  a  Bengalee  servant, 
set  off  for  Amarapoora,  first  in  a  boat,  and  then  in  a  cart. 
Through  the  dreadful  heat  and  dust  she  arrived  at  the  govern- 
ment house,  but  the  prisoners  had  just  left  for  a  village  be- 
yond, "  the  never-to-be-forgotten  Oung-pen-la."  Arrived  at 
that  place,  she  overtook  them  in  an  old  shattered  building, 
scarcely  protected  from  the  sun,  chained  two  and  two,  and  al- 
most dead  from  suffering  and  fatigue.  "  Why  have  you  come  ?" 
said  Mr.  Judson,  in  gentle  and  sad  reproof.  "  I  hoped  you 
would  not  follow,  for  you  can  not  live  here."  The  jailor  would 
not  permit  her  to  remain  at  the  prison,  but  he  gave  her  a  shel- 
ter in  one  of  the  rooms  of  his  own  house,  and  there  she  spent 
the  next  six  months  of  wretchedness.  It  was  on  the  dreadful 
march  to  this  prison,  under  the  burning  heat  of  a  mid-day  sun, 
that  Mr.  Judson's  feet  stained  the  sand  with  their  blood,  and 
that  he  was  saved  from  perishing  by  the  considerate  kindness 
of  the  Bengalee  servant  of  one  of  the  prisoners,  who  tore  his 
turban  from  his  head,  and,  dividina:  it  between  his  master  and 


^24  MRS.  ANN  HASSELTINE  JUDSON. 

Mr.  Judson,  bound  it  around  their  feet,  and  then  permitted  Mr. 
Judson  to  lean  upon  him  for  the  rest  of  the  way.  When  night 
came,  the  kindness  of  woman  furnished  refreshments  for  the 
prisoners,  and  in  the  morning  carts  were  provided  to  bear  them 
the  rest  of  the  way  to  Oung-pen-la. 

On  their  arrival  at  this  place,  the  prisoners  supposed  they 
were  to  be  burned,  and  endeavored  to  prepare  their  minds  for 
the  event.  But  the  repairs  upon  the  building  rekindled  their 
hopes,  and  they  soon  found  some  alleviations  of  their  condition. 
These  alleviations  were  not  of  such  character,  however,  as  to 
remove  their  miseries.  Oppression  and  extortion  still  remain- 
ed the  features  of  their  prison  discipline,  and  the  tender  mer- 
cies which  they  experienced  were  only  the  capricious  indul- 
gences of  tyrants.  Mrs.  Judson,  in  turn,  became  now  the  help- 
less sufferer.  Her  health  gave  way ;  her  poor  child  lost  its  ac- 
customed nourishment ;  and  the  wretched  father,  permitted  to 
go  abroad  from  the  prison  by  the  force  of  presents  to  his  keep- 
ers, bore  the  famishing  and  helpless  thing  from  house  to  house 
about  the  village,  begging  its  food  from  mothers  who  had  young 
children. 

But  deliverance  was  at  hand.  The  English  army  made  its 
triumphant  march  toward  Ava,  and  the  humbled  king  at  length 
"sent  an  embassage,  desiring  conditions  of  peace."  The  serv- 
ices of  Mr.  Judson  were  now  important  to  him,  and  his  release 
was  ordered.  The  period  of  their  sufferings  had  not  yet  ex- 
pired, but  they  were  cheered  with  brighter  hopes,  and  in  Feb- 
ruary, 182G,  they  were  permitted  to  rest  under  the  protection 
of  the  British  flag,  in  the  camp  of  Greneral  Sir  Archibald  Camp- 
bell, who  had  demanded  their  release. 

Descending  the  river  to  the  territories  ceded  by  the  Burman 


MRS.  ANX  HASSELTINE  JUDSON.  j^2o 

government  to  the  English,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Judson  commenced 
missionary  operations  at  Amherst,  a  new  town  designed  to  be 
the  British  capital.  Scarcely,  however,  were  they  fixed  in  this 
new  abode,  when  urgent  overtures  were  made  to  Mr.  Judson 
to  accompany  an  embassy  to  Ava,  to  negotiate  a  new  treaty. 
In  the  hope  that  an  article  providing  for  religious  toleration 
might  be  incorporated,  Mr.  Judson  yielded  to  the  wishes  of  the 
commissioner,  and  parted  with  Mrs.  Judson  on  the  5th  of  July 
— never  to  see  her  more  on  earth.  Her  constitution,  broken 
by  the  intense  sufferings  and  cares  of  the  long  imprisonment, 
yielded  to  an  attack  of  fever,  and,  after  eighteen  days'  illness, 
she  departed  this  life,  October  24th,  1826,  in  the  thirty-seventh 
year  of  her  age.  Her  husband  returned  to  his  desolate  home 
in  the  deepest  affliction,  unable  to  gain  any  particular  informa- 
tion as  to  the  state  of  mind  with  which  she  approached  death, 
saving  only  that  she  resigned  her  spirit  to  G-od  who  gave  it  with 
calm  and  trusting  faith.  Her  funeral  was  attended  by  all  the 
English  residents,  and  the  Assistant  Superintendent,  with 
thoughtful  kindness,  placed  "  a  small  rude  fence  around  her 
grave,  to  protect  it  from  incautious  intrusion."  Her  child  sur- 
vived her  just  six  months, 

"And  then  that  little  moaning  one 
Went  to  its  mother's  bosom,  and  slept  sweet 
'Neath  the  cool  branches  of  the  hopia-tree." 

Thus  lived  and  died  Ann  H.  Judson.  Her  life  was  short, 
but  filled  with  stirring  incidents  and  useful  deeds.  It  is  not 
strange  that,  living,  she  gained  the  love  and  admiration  of  the 
Christian  world,  nor  that,  dying,  her  name  found  its  place  at 
once  among  the  heroines  of  history.  It  is  not  extravagance  to 
characterize  her  as  the  woman  of  the  century. 


\26  MRS.  ANN  HASSELTINE  JUDSON. 

This  narrative  must  now  hasten  more  rapidly  to  its  close. 
Cast  down,  but  not  destroyed,  Mr.  Judson  applied  himself  with 
diligence  to  his  missionary  work,  at  Amherst,  Maulmain,  and 
Rangoon,  during  several  years,  accomplishing  a  vast  amount 
of  labor,  and  with  many  evidences  of  the  divine  approbation. 
Converts  were  increased,  and  new  branches  of  the  mission  were 
established,  that  among  the  Karens  starting  into  instant  im- 
portance, and  from  that  time  to  the  present  engaging  a  prom- 
inent share  of  the  attention  of  the  churches  at  home.  Mr.  Jud- 
son's  chief  labors  were  employed  in  the  translation  and  revi- 
sion of  the  Scriptures,  and  the  preparation  of  a  Burman- English 
Dictionary.  His  philological  tastes  and  habits,  which  were  in- 
dicated and  established  in  his  early  years,  qualified  him  pecul- 
iarly for  labors  of  this  character.  His  knowledge  of  the  Bur- 
mese language  and  literature  equaled  that  of  the  most  learned 
men  of  the  empire.  He  used  the  language  with  elegance  and 
facility.  On  the  last  day  of  January,  1834,  he  completed  the 
translation  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  into  the  Burmese  tongue.  His 
own  rapt  language  records  the  emotions  of  that  hour.  "  Thank 
Grod,"  said  he,  in  a  letter  communicating  the  intelligence,  "  I 
can  now  say  I  have  attained.  I  have  knelt  down  before  Hiin 
with  the  last  leaf  in  my  hand,  and,  imploring  his  forgiveness  for 
all  the  sins  which  have  polluted  my  labors  in  this  department, 
and  his  aid  in  removing  the  errors  and  imperfections  which  nec- 
essarily cleave  to  the  work,  I  have  commended  it  to  his  mercy 
and  grace.  I  have  dedicated  it  to  his  glory.  May  he  make 
his  own  inspired  Word,  now  complete  in  the  Burmese  tongue, 
the  grand  instrument  of  filling  all  Burmah  with  songs  of  praise 
to  our  great  Grod  and  Savior  Jesus  Cln-ist.  Amen."  It  is  im- 
possible to  read  this  language,  and  reflect  upon  the  sublime 


MRS.  SARAH  BOARDMAN  JUDSON  j  gi^ 

and  glorious  issues  which,  in  the  lapse  of  ages  and  throughont 
eternity,  are  to  proceed  from  the  event  which  it  records,  with- 
out participating  in  the  emotions  which  he  has  expressed  ;  nor 
is  it  possible  to  doubt  that  new  joy  was  felt  in  heaven  among 
those  holy  ones  who  rejoice  over  the  repentance  of  sinners. 

In  April  of  this  year,  Mr.  Judson  ceased  to  tread  the  path 
of  life  alone,  and  a  new  character  appears  in  our  narrative. 


Fac  Simile  from  Letter  to  Mrs.  Bolles,  dated  Maulmain,  June  15th,  1837. 

Mrs.  Sarah  Boardman  Judson,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Sarah  Hall,  was  the  eldest  child  of  Ralph  and  Abiah  Hall,  and 
was  born  in  Alstead,  New  Hampshire,  November  4th,  1803. 
In  her  early  years  her  parents  removed  from  Alstead  to  Dan- 


-[28  MRS.  SARAH  BOARDMAN  JUDSON. 

vers,  Massachusetts,  and  thence  to  Salem,  where  she  hegan  to 
develop  those  qualities  of  mind  and  heart  which,  at  a  later 
period,  shone  conspicuously  in  her  life.  She  came  with  regret 
from  among  "beautiful  groves,  orchards  filled  with  fruit-trees, 
and  gently  gliding  streams,"  to  a  place  where  she  found  "noth- 
ing hut  houses  and  steeples,"  the  poetical  vein  even  thus  early 
mingling  itself  with  her  eminently  solid  and  practical  charac- 
ter. The  eldest  of  a  very  large  family  of  children,  and  her 
parents  possessed  of  very  limited  pecuniary  means,  she  was 
much  occupied  in  her  girlhood  with  domestic  toils;  and  yet, 
such  was  the  ardor  of  her  desire  for  intellectual  improvement, 
that  we  find  her  early  engaged  in  studies  beyond  her  years  and 
circumstances.  Among  those  to  which  allusions  are  found  in 
her  writings  of  that  period  were  Butler's  Analogy  and  Paley's 
Evidences,  Campbell's  Philosophy  of  Rhetoric,  Logic,  Geome- 
try, and  Latin.  She  was  early  given  to  composition,  and  her 
verses,  without  indicating  the  highest  creative  faculty,  were 
remarkable  for  smoothness  of  versification,  correct  taste,  and 
just  sentiments.  There  can  not  be  a  doubt  that  she  would 
have  attained  fame  as  a  poet,  if  her  life  had  been  one  of  leisure 
and  letters.  In  her  seventeenth  year  she  became  the  subject 
of  divine  grace,  and  was  baptized  by  the  Rev.  Lucius  Bolles, 
D.D.,  at  that  time  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  in  Salem. 
Though  her  devotion  was  not  of  that  intense  and  all-compre- 
hending character  which,  by  the  blessing  of  Gfod,  it  subse- 
quently became,  under  the  pressure  of  afflictions  and  weighty 
responsibilities,  it  placed  her  at  once  among  those  from  whom 
most  was  expected  in  the  church  to  which  she  belonged.  Its 
earliest  and  strongest  manifestations,  it  should  be  added,  took 
the  direction  of  sympathy  for  the  heathen.     She  "wept  tears 


MRS.  SARAH  BOARDMAN  JUDSON.  ^29 

of  pity,  almost  of  anguish,  at  the  stupidity  of  sinners,  inhab- 
itants of  a  Christian  country,"  but  there  was  even  a  peculiar 
depth  and  earnestness  of  feeling  in  her  solicitude  for  the  per- 
ishing heathen.  She  was  disposed  to  chide  herself  for  this. 
On  reading  the  life  of  Samuel  J.  Mills,  she  wrote,  "Oh  that  I 
too  could  suffer  privations,  hardships,  and  discouragements,  and 
even  find  a  watery  grave,  for  the  sake  of  bearing  the  news  of 
salvation  to  the  poor  heathen!  Then  I  have  checked  myself 
in  the  wild,  unreasonable  wish.  Sinners  perishing  all  around 
me,  and  I,  an  ignorant,  weak,  faithless  creature,  almost  pant- 
ing to  tell  the  far  heathen  of  Christ.  Surely  this  is  wrong. 
I  will  no  longer  indulge  the  vain,  foolish  wish,  but  endeavor  to 
be  useful  in  the  position  in  which  Providence  has  placed  me. 
I  can  pray  for  deluded  idolaters,  and  for  those  who  labor  among 
them ;  and  this  is  a  privilege  indeed." 

True  to  the  purpose  here  expressed,  she  did  labor  for  the  good 
of  souls  at  home  ;  but  God,  unconsciously  to  herself,  was  train- 
ing her  for  missionary  work  abroad.  Of  her  home-labors  in- 
teresting incidents  are  still  preserved,  creditable  alike  to  her 
piety  and  good  sense.  In  her  father's  house,  as  a  tract  dis- 
tributer, and  in  the  circle  of  her  friends,  she  was  intent  on  her 
purpose  to  win  souls  to  Christ.  In  one  instance  she  wrote,  un- 
observed, upon  a  pack  of  playing  cards,  the  property  of  a  young 
gentleman,  that  solemn  passage,  "Remember  now  thy  Creator 
in  the  days  of  thy  youth  ;  while  the  evil  days  come  not,  nor  the 
years  draw  nigh,  when  thou  shalt  say,  I  have  no  pleasure  in 
them."  "  Startled,  conscience-stricken,  and  curious,"  says  Mrs. 
Judson's  biographer,  the  young  man  sought  to  ascertain  who 
was  his  monitor.  Through  a  common  friend,  his  inquiry  reached 
Miss  Hall,  who  sent  him  back  for  answer : 

T 


130  MRS.  SARAH  BOARDMAN  JUDSON. 

•'  And  would'st  thou  know  what  friend  sincere, 
Reminds  thee  of  thy  day  of  doom  1 

Repress  the  wish :  yet  thou  may'st  hear, 

She  shed  for  thee  the  pitying  tear, 
For  thine  are  paths  of  gloom."' 
"When  Colman,  that  valiant  young  soldier  of  the  cross,  had 
fallen,  and  with  him  so  many  fond  hopes  of  the  friends  of  mis- 
sions, two  hearts,  strangers  as  yet  to  each  other's  emotions, 
were  stirred  to  their  depths.  Miss  Hall  gave  expression  to  her 
feelings  in  an  elegy,  which  found  its  way  into  the  papers.  In 
the  halls  of  Waterville  College  there  was  a  tutor,  a  tall,  manly, 
earnest  young  Cln-istian,  whose  heart,  from  the  period  of  his 
conversion,  had  been  fixed  on  a  missionary  life.  '"Who  will 
go  to  fill  Colman's  place?'  'I'll  go.'"  "This  question  and 
answer,"  said  George  Dana  Boardman,  "occurred  to  me  in 
succession  as  suddenly  as  the  twinkling  of  an  eye."  This 
young  man  saw  the  elegy  to  which  we  have  alluded.  Where 
could  the  heart  be  whose  feelings  were  so  in  sympathy  with 
his  own  ?  Soon  after  they  met,  and,  in  the  language  of  the 
sole  witness  of  the  meeting,  "their  spirits,  their  hopes,  their 
aspirations  were  one."  Mr.  Boardman  and  Miss  Hall  were 
married  July  4th,  1825,  and  on  the  16th  of  the  same  month 
they  embarked  at  Philadelphia  for  Calcutta,  where  they  arrived 
December  2d. 

The  war  in  Burmah  was  now  raging,  and  missionary  opera- 
tions were  suspended.  In  compliance,  therefore,  with  an  in- 
vitation from  the  Circular  Road  Baptist  Church  in  that  city, 
Mr.  Boardman  preached  for  them  during  the  greater  part  of  the 
time,  for  more  than  a  year,  meanwhile  studying  the  Burmese 
language,  and  arranging  plans  for  future  usefulness.  It  is  the 
opinion  of  Mrs.  Judson's  biographer  that  her  residence  in  Cal- 


MRS.  SARAH  BOARDMAN  JUDSON. 


181 


cutta  was  not  favorable  to  her  religious  development.  Her 
writings  evince  a  sincere,  and  even  an  earnest  piety,  but  its 
lustre  is  dim  in  comparison  with  that  which  distinguished  the 
piety  of  hor  later  life.  Her  accomplishments  as  a  lady  led  her 
English  friends  to  regard  her  "  as  the  most  finished  and  fault- 
less specimen  of  an  American  woman  that  they  had  ever 
known."  And  this  remark  suggested  to  us  what  we  have 
omitted  to  say  of  her  personal  appearance.  Her  friend,  the 
late  Mrs.  Allen,  of  New  York,  wrote  thus  of  her,  in  an  obituary 
in  the  Mother's  Journal :  "  She  was  of  about  middle  stature, 
agreeable  in  her  personal  appearance,  and  winning  in  her  man- 
ners. The  first  impression  of  an  observer  respecting  her  in  her 
youth,  at  the  time  of  her  departure  from  the  country,  would  be 
of  a  gentle,  confiding,  persuasive  being,  who  would  sweeten 
the  cup  of  life  to  those  who  drank  it  with  her."  Dr.  Judson 
wrote  of  her,  after  she  was  laid  in  her  grave,  "I  exceedingly 
regret  that  there  is  no  portrait  of  the  second,  as  of  the  first  Mrs. 
Judson.  Her  soft  blue  eye,  her  mild  aspect,  her  lovely  face 
and  elegant  form,  have  never  been  delineated  on  canvas." 

In  April,  1827,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boardman  reached  Burmah, 
and  took  up  their  residence  temporarily  at  Amherst.  Mrs.  Ann 
H.  Judson,  whom  they  had  both  known  during  her  visit  to  this 
country,  was  already  in  her  grave,  and  one  of  the  first  offices 
performed  by  the  newly-arrived  missionaries  was  to  watch  over 
the  dying  bed  of  the  little  Maria,  and  to  lay  her  beside  her 
mother  under  the  hopia-tree.  Nor  were  these  the  only  sorrows 
which  encompassed  their  path.  Mrs.  Boardman  was  afflicted 
with  the  disease  which,  after  an  interval  of  a  few  years  of 
health,  finally  carried  her  to  the  grave,  and  their  young  child 
was  even  more  a  sufferer. 


232  MRS.  SARAH  BOARDMAN  JUDSON. 

It  having:  been  determined  to  establish  a  station  at  Maul- 
main,  since  the  principal  station  of  the  Burman  mission,  that 
duty  was  assigned  to  Mr.  Boardman,  and  the  removal  took 
place  while  Mrs.  Boardman  was  still  unable  to  walk  to  the 
river.  Arrived  at  Maulmain,  their  missionary  life  was  fairly 
commenced,  and  they  were  permitted  at  an  early  period  to  wit- 
ness encouraging  tokens  of  the  divine  favor.  Mrs.  Boardman 
made  rapid  progress  in  the  acquisition  of  the  language,  and 
availed  herself  of  every  opportunity  and  method  in  her  benevo- 
lent work.  No  sooner,  however,  was  the  station  at  Maulmain 
fairly  established,  than  it  was  determined  to  commence  opera- 
tions at  Tavoy,  and  thither  the  steps  of  these  missionaries  were 
directed.  We  must  pass  over  the  stirring  incidents  of  their 
residence  at  these  places — ^the  frightful  robbery  at  Maulmain, 
where  murderous  knives  cut  slits  in  the  muslin  around  the  bed 
of  the  slumbering  missionaries,  through  which  savage  eyes 
watched  while  the  robbery  was  proceeding ;  and  the  revolt  of 
Tavoy,  where,  through  days  and  nights  of  terror,  they  were  in 
hourly  jeopardy  of  their  lives.  We  can  linger  for  a  moment 
only  on  the  eventful  days  when  Mrs.  Boardman  became  a 
widow. 

The  establishment  of  the  station  at  Tavoy  had  brought  Mr. 
Boardman,  by  a  remarkable  train  of  circumstances,  into  con- 
nection with  the  Karens,  whose  readiness  to  receive  the  G-ospel 
so  widely  contrasted  with  the  insensibility  of  the  Burmans, 
and  among  whom  numerous  conversions  at  once  rewarded  his 
toils.  During  two  years  he  made  frequent  excursions  to  the 
jungles,  and  often  met  these  inhabitants  of  the  forests  at  his 
own  house.  But  by  this  time  his  constitution  was  fast  yield- 
ing to  the  insidious  disease  which  terminated  his  life,  and  Mrs. 


MRS.  SARAH  BOARDMAN  JUDSON.  1QO 

Boardman  herself  was  an  invalid.  Neither  changes  of  resi- 
dence nor  medical  skill  had  power  to  avert  the  approaches  of 
the  destroyer.  First  their  eldest-born,  then  their  youngest, 
was  torn  from  them,  leaving  their  second,  now  their  only 
child.*  Mr.  Boardman  himself  rapidly  declined.  Too  feeble 
to  administer  the  ordinance  of  baptism,  he  assigned  this  duty 
to  Moung  Ing,  who  baptized  at  a  single  time  nineteen  converts, 
eighteen  of  whom  were  Karens — thus  in  a  single  day  doubling 
the  number  in  the  fellowship  of  the  church  at  Tavoy.  A  prom- 
ise once  more  to  visit  the  jungles  remained  now  unfulfilled, 
and  the  arrival  of  new  missionaries,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mason,  con- 
firmed him  in  his  purpose  to  fulfill  it.  They  set  out,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Boardman,  little  George,  and  Mr.  Mason,  for  the  wilderness, 
Mr.  Boardman  borne  on  a  litter,  and  Mrs.  Boardman  in  a  chair. 
Their  route  lay  over  mountains,  through  narrow  defiles,  and 
across  rapid  streams.  On  the  third  day  they  reached  a  small 
chapel,  on  the  border  of  a  beautiful  stream,  and  just  at  the 
base  of  a  range  of  mountains.  Here  were  assembled,  waiting 
the  approach  of  the  teacher,  about  one  hundred  Karens,  near 
one  half  of  whom  were  applicants  for  baptism.  He  had  felt 
that  if  he  could  live  to  see  this  ingathering,  he  could  then  say, 
"  Now  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace."  He  declined, 
however,  so  rapidly,  that  his  wife  urged  his  immediate  return  ; 
but  he  was  unwilling  to  leave  the  spot  with  the  object  of  his 
mission  unaccomplished.  "  I  am  sinking  into  the  grave,"  said 
he — "just  on  the  verge."  It  was  determined  to  proceed  with 
the  examination  of  the  female  candidates,  and  to  defer  the  bap- 
tism of  the  males  who  could  come  to  Tavoy.  Accordingly,  the 
examination  proceeded,  the  dying  man  at  intervals  breathing 
*  George  Dana  Boardman  graduated  at  Brown  University,  1852. 


124:  MRS.  SARAH  BOARDMAN  JUDSON. 

expressions  of  his  faith  and  consolation,  and  commending  his 
wife  and  child,  and  Karens,  to  God  and  his  brethren.  As  the 
sun  was  sinking  behind  the  hills,  his  cot  was  placed  by  the 
river  side,  where  this  precious  company  were  assembled,  and 
in  its  peaceful  waters  thirty-four  converts  were  baptized  by  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Mason.  The  artist  has  found  in  the  scene  a  subject 
for  his  pencil ;  angels,  we  doubt  not,  looked  on  with  admiration, 
and  sweeter  songs  resounded  through  the  vault  of  heaven. 

Early  the  next  morning  they  left  for  home,  but  he  was  borne 
thither  a  corpse.  He  expired  on  the  way,  so  gently  that  the 
passing  spirit  scarcely  gave  token  of  its  departure.  The  deaths 
of  Wolfe,  of  Chatham,  and  of  the  younger  Adams  have  been 
not  unfittingly  compared  with  this  ;  this  was  death  amid  no- 
bler triumphs.  "  Such  a  death,"  wrote  Dr.  Judson,  "next  to 
that  of  martyrdom,  must  be  glorious  in  the  eyes  of  Heaven." 

The  death  of  Mr.  Boardman  occurred  February  11th,  1831. 
Her  sorrow  was  deep  and  intense,  but  she  was  sustained  by 
divine  consolations.  During  the  previous  two  years  she  had 
attained  to  a  higher  type  of  piety  than  ever  before,  and  this, 
which  had  given  a  new  lustre  to  her  character,  and  made  her 
more  than  ever  the  occasion  of  blessings  to  others,  now  was  a 
well  of  water  in  her  own  heart,  springing  up  into  life  everlast- 
ing. With  the  choice  before  her  of  continuing  her  missionary 
labors  or  returning  to  America,  she  deliberately  chose  the  for- 
mer, and  applied  herself  diligently  to  her  work. 

"  Wh^n  I  first  stood  by  the  grave  of  my  husband,"  she  said, 
"  I  thought  that  I  must  go  home  with  George.  But  these  poor, 
inquiring  and  Christian  Karens,  and  the  school-boys,  and  the 
Burmese  Christians,  would  then  be  left  without  any  one  to  in- 
struct them  ;  and  the  poor,  stupid  Tavoyans  would  go  on  in 


MRS.  SARAH  BOARDMAN  JUDSON.  -[On 

the  road  to  death  with  no  one  to  warn  them  of  their  dansjer. 
How,  then,  oh !  how  can  I  go  ?  We  shall  not  be  separated 
long.  A  few  more  years,  and  we  shall  all  meet  in  yonder  bliss- 
ful world,  whither  those  we  love  have  gone  before  us."  "  I 
feel  thankful  that  I  was  allowed  to  come  to  this  heathen  land. 
Oh  it  is  a  precious  privilege  to  tell  idolaters  of  the  Grospel ;  and 
when  we  see  them  disposed  to  love  the  Savior,  we  forget  all 
our  privations  and  dangers.  My  beloved  husband  wore  out  his 
life  in  this  glorious  cause  ;  and  that  remembrance  makes  me 
more  than  ever  attached  to  the  work,  and  the  people  for  whose 
salvation  he  labored  till  death." 

In  such  a  spirit  she  continued  her  missionary  work  at  Tavoy. 
Besides  managing  a  school  with  great  success,  and  giving  re- 
ligious instruction  at  home  in  various  ways,  she  was  accus- 
tomed to  make  long  and  toilsome  journeys  among  the  mount- 
ains, frequently  amid  drenching  rains,  that  she  might  bear  the 
Bread  of  Life  to  the  Karens.  In  these  excursions  assemblies  of 
hundreds  gathered  around  her,  and,  notwithstanding  her  reluct- 
ance to  assume  what  seemed  like  the  office  of  a  public  teach- 
er, she  was  obliged  to  conduct  their  worship,  and  teach  them 
the  way  of  G-od  more  perfectly. 

In  April,  1834,  she  became  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Judson, 
a  man  whom  she  subsequently  declared  to  be  "a  complete  as- 
semblage of  all  that  a  woman's  heart  could  wish  to  love  and 
honor."  It  was  likewise  his  testimony  that  she  was,  "  in  ev- 
ery point  of  natural  and  moral  excellence,  the  worthy  success- 
or of  Ann  H.  Judson."  Her  life  became  now  less  eventful, 
but  it  was  filled  with  steady,  quiet  usefulness.  The  faithful 
mother  of  eight  children,  the  fruit  of  this  marriage,  she  was, 
at  the  same  time,  the  indefatigable  missionary.     She  was  both 


238  MRS.  SARAH  BOARDMAN  JUDSON. 

perfectly  familiar  with  the  Burmese  language  and  skillful  in 
the  use  of  it.  Of  her  husband's  translation  of  the  Scriptures 
she  was  passionately  fond,  preferring  it  to  the  English  for  pur- 
poses of  devotion.  She  translated  the  first  part  of  the  Pilgrim's 
Progress  into  Burmese,  reckoned  as  one  of  the  best  publications 
issued  from  the  mission-press.  She  translated  tracts,  prepared 
a  hymn  book,  several  volumes  of  Scripture  questions  for  Sun- 
day schools,  and,  as  one  of  the  last  works  of  her  life,  a  series 
of  Sunday  cards.  Before  the  Peguans  had  a  missionary,  she 
acquired  their  language,  and  translated,  or  superintended  the 
translation  of  the  New  Testament,  and  the  principal  Burmese 
tracts,  into  the  Peguan  tongue — a  self-imposed  task,  collateral 
to  her  work  as  a  missionary  among  the  Burmese.  These  labors, 
however,  she  yielded  to  the  hands  of  the  excellent  missionary 
(Mr.  Haswell)  to  whom  this  department  was  assigned,  and 
henceforth  restricted  her  labors  to  the  Burmese.  It  remains 
only  that  we  linger  for  a  moment  around  the  scenes  of  her 
death  and  burial. 

Dr.  Judson  had  pursued  during  these  ten  years  the  same 
kinds  of  missionary  labor  in  which  our  last  notices  of  him  left 
him  engaged.  He  had  completed  his  revision  of  the  Scriptures, 
and  was  carrying  along  the  Dictionary  with  which  he  had  been 
so  long  occupied.  Mrs.  Judson's  fluctuating  health,  as  well  as 
his  own,  had  occasionally  demanded  relaxation  and  change  of 
scenes,  but  he  had  steadily  resisted  all  importunities  to  visit 
his  native  country.  In  1845,  he  was  compelled,  by  the  illness 
of  Mrs.  Judson,  to  yield  that  point,  and  embark,  with  her  and 
some  of  their  children,  for  the  United  States.  Arrived  at  Mau- 
ritius, Mrs.  Judson  was  so  far  revived  that  he  determined  to 
return  to  Burmah,  leaving  her  to  pursue  the  remainder  of  the 


MRS.  SARAH  BOARDMAN  JUDSON.  J^gg 

voyage  to  this  country  unattended.  It  was  here,  after  this  de- 
termination, that  she  penned  that  beautiful  domestic  poem — 
"  the  last  words  ever  traced  by  her  fingers :" 

"  We  part  on  this  green  islet,  love — 

Thou  for  the  Eastern  main, 
I  for  the  setting  sun,  love — 

Oh,  when  to  meet  again  ! 
***** 
The  music  of  thy  daughter's  voice 

Thou'lt  miss  for  many  a  year, 
And  the  merry  shout  of  thine  elder  boys 

Thou'lt  list  in  vain  to  hear. 
***** 
My  tears  fall  fast  for  thee,  love — 

How  can  I  say  farewell  1 
But  go !  thy  God  be  with  thee,  love, 

Thy  heart's  deep  grief  to  quell. 
***** 
Yet  my  spirit  clings  to  thine,  love, 

Thy  soul  remains  with  me  ; 
And  oft  we'll  hold  communion  sweet, 

O'er  the  dark  and  distant  sea. 
***** 
Then  gird  thine  armor  on,  love, 

Nor  faint  thou  by  the  way. 
Till  Boodh  shall  fall,  and  Burmah's  sons 

Shall  own  Messiah's  sway  !" 

The  noble  woman  who,  when  near  a  score  of  years  had 
passed  away  since  she  left  her  native  country,  testified  to  a 
friend  that  she  had  never  felt  a  regret  that  her  life  had  been 
consecrated  to  the  work  of  missions,  could  thus,  when  sickness 
and  pain  were,  as  she  supposed,  about  to  separate  her  from  her 
husband,  amid  her  tears,  surrender  him  to  his  work,  and  cheer 
him  by  her  benediction.     The  last  writing  of  her  life  was  a 


240  ^^^^-  SARAH  BOARDMAN  JUDSON. 

fitting  illustration  of  her  domestic  feelings,  her  patient,  cheer- 
ful piety,  and  her  devotion  to  her  work. 

The  separation  did  not  take  place — not  here.  Alarming 
symptoms  reappeared,  and  Mr.  Judson  proceeded  on  the  voyage 
with  the  suffering  woman.  She  saw  death  to  be  near,  but  her 
mind  was  tranquil.  She  desired  to  see  once  more  her  son 
Greorge,  from  whom  she  had  been  so  long  separated,  her  parents, 
and  the  friends  of  her  youth;  but  she  "longed  to  depart"  also. 
"  I  am  in  a  strait  betwixt  two,"  she  said ;  "  let  God's  will  be 
done."  On  the  morning  of  the  1st  of  September,  1845,  the 
ship  was  quietly  moored  in  the  port  of  St.  Helena,  and  there 
at  that  time,  while  darkness  still  rested  over  the  waters,  she 
sweetly  breathed  away  her  spirit,  her  husband  her  sole  earth- 
ly attendant.  "  For  a  moment,"  he  says,  "  I  traced  her  up- 
ward flight,  and  thought  of  the  wonders  which  were  opened  to 
her  view.  I  then  closed  her  sightless  eyes,  dressed  her,  for 
the  last  time,  in  the  drapery  of  death,  and,  being  quite  ex- 
hausted with  many  sleepless  nights,  I  threw  myself  down  and 
slept.  On  awaking  in  the  morning,  I  saw  the  children  stand- 
ing and  weeping  around  the  body  of  their  dear  mother,  then 
for  the  first  time  inattentive  to  their  cries." 

The  flags  of  the  shipping  were  at  half-mast  that  morning, 
and  unusual  tokens  of  respect  from  the  residents  of  St.  Helena 
marked  the  solemn  burial.  The  long  procession  of  boats,  the 
measured  stroke  of  the  oars,  the  sorrow  of  the  bereaved,  the 
sympathy  of  strangers,  and  the  associations  of  the  place,  have 
fittingly  awakened  the  song  of  the  poet. 


'  Mournfully,  tenderly,  Wliere  the  warrior  has  lain, 

Bear  onward  the  dead,  Let  the  Christian  be  laid : 


REV.  ADONIRAM  JUDSON. 


141 


No  place  more  befitting,  Gently — so,  gently, 

Oh  rock  of  the  sea  !  0  !  bear  her  away. 

Never  such  treasure  ***** 

Was  hidden  in  thee.  So  have  ye  buried  her, 

Up !  and  depart. 

Mournfully,  tenderly,  To  life  and  to  duty 

Solemn,  and  slow,  With  undismayed  heart : 

Tears  are  bedewing  Fear  not,  for  the  love 

The  path  as  ye  go  ;  Of  the  stranger  will  keep 

Kindred  and  strangers  The  casket  that  lies 

Are  mourners  to-day.  In  the  Rock  of  the  deep." 

On  the  evening  of  the  day  of  the  burial  the  ship  spread  her 
canvas  to  the  winds,  and  the  desolate  family  were  again  on  their 
voyage  to  America,  They  landed  in  Boston  on  Wednesday, 
October  15th,  1845.  The  news  of  Dr.  Judson's  arrival  spread 
through  the  city,  and  produced  every  where  a  thrill  of  emotion, 
and  the  strongest  desire  to  look  upon  the  man  who  had  suffer- 
ed and  achieved  so  much  for  the  cause  of  Christ.  On  Friday 
evening  he  was  presented  to  an  immense  audience,  gathered, 
by  verbal  notice,  in  the  Bowdoin  Square  Church,  when  he  was 
addressed  by  the  Rev,  Dr.  Sharp  as  the  interpreter  of  the  deep 
interest  and  sympathy  felt  by  the  assembled  throng.  An  in- 
cident of  remarkable  character  heightened  the  effect  of  the 
scene.  A  stranger  urged  his  way  up  the  aisle,  and,  ascending 
the  pulpit,  was  warmly  embraced  by  Dr.  Judson.  Who  could 
it  be  ?  What  familiar  friend  had  the  veteran  missionary  found 
in  this  land  of  strangers  ?  It  was  the  Rev.  Samuel  Nott,  Junior, 
one  of  the  devoted  band  of  young  men  with  whom  Dr.  Judson 
had  been  associated  in  his  missionary  consecration.  Returned 
from  the  foreign  field,  and  now  pastor  of  a  Congregational 
church  in  Wareham,  Massachusetts,  he  had  heard  of  Dr.  Jud- 
son's arrival,  and  had  hastened  to  Boston  to  welcome  him  to 


X42  REV.  ADONIRAM  JUDSON. 

his  native  land,  and  to  kindle  anew  the  unextinguished  love 
of  years  long  gone  by. 

The  emotion  excited  by  the  return  of  Dr.  Judson  spread  over 
the  whole  country,  and  was  felt  by  every  denomination  of 
Christians.  At  the  special  meeting  of  the  Baptist  General 
Convention,  held  in  December,  1845,  in  the  city  of  New  York, 
he  was  presented  by  the  president,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Way  land,  to 
the  body  which  had  been  called  into  existence  through  his  in- 
strumentality, and  which,  commencing  its  operations  with  him 
as  its  solitary  missionary  preacher,  now  sustained  missions  in 
many  climes,  and  had  been  honored,  as  the  fruit  of  its  toils, 
with  the  conversion  to  Christ  of  many  thousands  of  heathen. 
His  presence  and  his  counsels,  at  this  critical  juncture  in  the 
affairs  of  the  convention,  contributed  largely,  under  Grod,  to 
the  happy  results  which  were  attained,  marking  an  era  in 
American  Baptist  Missions.* 

Journeying  southward,  he  was  received  in  several  cities  with 
similar  demonstrations  of  affection  and  reverence.  At  Rich- 
mond, Virginia,  he  was  addressed  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Jeter  in 
behalf  of  the  Foreign  Mission  Board  of  the  Southern  Baptist 
Convention,  and  "of  the  whole  Baptist  denomination  in  the 
South."  But  these  public  honors  were  not  congenial  to  his 
feelings.  His  heart  was  bleeding  under  bereavement,  and  he 
longed  to  return  to  his  home  and  his  labors.  The  writer  of 
this,  in  a  private  interview  with  Dr.  Judson,  found  him  in  a 
state  of  mind  not  far  removed  from  that  desolate  and  oppressive 
feeling  which  is  known  as  "home-sickness,"  and  was  able  to 

*  It  was  at  this  meeting  that  measures  were  taken  which  in  May,  1846,  re- 
sulted in  a  change  of  the  organic  structure  of  the  Convention,  and  in  its  as- 
sumption of  a  new  name — the  American  Baptist  Missionary  Union. 


REV.  ADONIRAM  JUDSON.  -[^3 

rally  him  from  it  only  by  adverting  to  the  sacred  sympathies 
of  those  who  had  suffered  bereavement  like  his  own — sympa- 
thies unknown  and  unappreciable  to  all  the  world  beside.  Un- 
der these  allusions  his  countenance  lighted,  and  he  sustained 
the  brief  conversation  which  followed  with  a  sort  of  sacred  ani- 
mation which  it  would  be  difficult  to  describe. 

In  the  summer  of  the  ensuing  year  his  wish  to  re-embark 
for  Burmah  was  gratified.  On  the  last  day  of  June,  the  Bap- 
tist Church  in  Baldwin  Place  was  crowded  with  an  assembly 
met  to  receive  the  farewell  of  a  company  of  missionaries,  of 
whom  the  veteran  Judson  was  chief.  Unable  to  sustain  his 
voice  for  more  than  a  few  sentences,  he  requested  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Hague  to  read  an  address  which  he  had  prepared  for  the  in- 
teresting occasion,  "  At  one  moment,"  said  he,  "  the  lapse  of 
thirty-four  years  is  annihilated ;  the  scenes  of  1812  are  again 
present ;  and  this  assembly — how  like  that  which  commended 
me  to  God,  on  first  leaving  my  native  shores  for  the  distant 
East.  But  as  I  look  around,  where  are  the  well-known  faces 
of  Spring,  and  Worcester,  and  Dwight  ?  Where  are  Lyman, 
and  Huntington,  and  Griffin  ?  And  where  are  those  leaders 
of  the  baptized  ranks,  who  stretched  out  their  arms  across  the 
water,  and  received  me  into  their  communion  ?  Where  are 
Baldwin  and  Bolles  ?  Where  Holcombe,  and  Rogers,  and 
Staughton  ?  I  see  them  not.  I  have  been  to  their  temples  of 
worship,  but  their  voices  have  passed  away.  And  where  are 
my  early  missionary  associates — Newell,  and  Hall,  and  Rice, 
and  Richards,  and  Mills  ?  But  why  inquire  for  those  so  an- 
cient ?  Where  are  the  succeeding  laborers  in  the  missionary 
field  for  many  years,  and  the  intervening  generation  who  sus- 
tained the  missions  ?     And  where  are  those  who  moved  amid 


i44  ^^^'   -^DONIRAM  JUDSOy. 

the  dark  scenes  of  Rangoon,  and  Ava,  and  Tavoy  ?  Where 
those  gentle,  yet  firm  spirits,  which  tenanted  forms  delicate  in 
structure  but  careless  of  the  storm,  now  broken  and  scattered, 
like  the  leaves  of  autumn,  under  the  shadow  of  overhanging 
trees,  and  on  remote  islands  of  the  sea?"  And  then  from  these 
sacred  memories  he  turned  to  the  gracious  promises  which 
pledge  the  world's  conversion,  and  cheered  his  brethren  on  in 
their  work.  "Great  is  our  privilege,"  said  he,  "precious  our 
opportunity,  to  co-operate  with  the  Savior  in  the  blessed  work 
of  enlarging  and  establishing  his  kingdom  throughout  the 
world." 

On  the  11th  of  July  he  sailed,  accompanied  by  a  goodly 
number  of  helpers  in  his  work,  and  cheered  by  the  presence  of 
a  gifted  spirit,  who  "left  the  companionship  of  early  friends 
and  the  pleasant  paths  of  literature,  to  become  the  successor 
of  illustrious  women,  in  the  sympathies  of  his  home,  and  the 
labors  of  missionary  life."* 

The  rest  is  briefly  told.  Arriving  at  Maulmain  in  Decem- 
ber, Dr.  Judson  resumed  his  work  with  ardor.  Under  the  bet- 
ter auspices  occasioned  by  a  political  revolution,  he  established 
himself  for  a  while  at  Rangoon,  and  even  projected  new  at- 
tempts at  Ava,  which  a  want  of  means  compelled  him  to  aban- 
don. Returning  to  Maulmain,  he  assumed  the  pastorship  of 
the  Burman  Church,  preaching  once  a  Sabbath,  and  carrying 
forward  the  dictionary  on  which  he  had  been  so  long  engaged.! 

*  The  Rev.  Dr.  Judson  and  Miss  Emily  Chubbuck  were  married  at  Utica, 
New  York,  June  2d,  1846. 

t  The  English  and  Burmese  Dictionary  was  completed  by  Dr.  Judson,  and 
has  been  published.  The  Burmese  and  English  was  left  incomplete,  and  has 
been  committed  to  the  scholarship  and  skill  of  Rev.  E.  A.  Stevens. 


REV.  ADOXIRAM  JUDSOy.  ]  45 

In  such  occupations  he  was  employed  till  the  autumn  of  1849, 
when  a  severe  cold,  followed  by  a  fever,  laid  him  aside  from 
his  work.  His  disease  refused  to  yield  to  remedies,  and  the 
powers  of  life  gradually  wasted  away.  Though  he  had  already 
tried  a  voyage  and  sea-bathing  in  vain,  he  longed  to  accom- 
plish yet  more  in  the  service  of  Christ,  and  on  the  3d  of  April, 
1850,  despairing  of  recovery  at  Maulmain,  he  left  his  wife  in 
a  state  of  health  which  forbade  her  accompanying  him,  and 
departed  with  a  single  attendant  for  the  Isle  of  Bourbon.  He 
suffered  much  while  descending  the  river,  but  rallied  on  the 
open  sea,  and  the  pilot  bore  back  a  message  of  hope,  which 
during  long  weeks  and  months  sustained  delusive  expectations. 
Disease  deepened  its  hold  upon  him,  and  his  agony  was  in- 
tense. "Oh,"  said  he,  "  that  I  could  die  at  once,  and  go  di- 
rectly to  Paradise,  where  there  is  no  pain."  And  yet  he  was 
patient ;  his  faith  was  strong  in  Christ,  and  he  believed  that 
he  had  no  pangs  which  were  not  necessary  to  fit  him  to  die. 
On  the  12th  of  April  the  mortal  hour  came,  and  it  pleased  G-od 
to  remove  his  sufferings,  and  grant  him  an  easy  death,  "  His 
pains  had  left  him — not  a  momentary  spasm  disturbed  his 
placid  face,  nor  did  the  contraction  of  a  muscle  denote  the  least 
degree  of  suffering ;  the  agony  of  death  was  past,  and  his 
wearied  spirit  was  turning  to  its  rest  in  the  bosom  of  the 
Savior."  The  officers  of  the  ship  (a  French  vessel),  summon- 
ed to  dinner,  had  entered  the  cabin  unconscious  of  what  was 
transpiring.  They  gathered  around  the  door  of  his  room,  and 
"  watched  the  closing  scene  with  solemn  reverence ;"  and 
when  the  dying  saint  had  breathed  his  last,  they  stole  softly 
away,  leaving  the  neglected  meal  upon  the  board  untasted. 
His  grave  was  the  ocean ;    his  fitting  monument,   said  his 

K 


246  ^^^-  ADONIRAM  JUDSON 

bereaved  widow,  for,  like  its  blue  waves,  which  visit  every 
coast,  his  love  went  forth  to  the  ends  of  the  earth,  and  em- 
braced the  whole  family  of  man.  The  "  Closing  Scenes"  in 
Dr.  Judson's  life,  written  by  that  widow,  furnish  a  beautiful 
testimonial  to  the  strength  and  fervor  of  his  piety,  and  leave 
the  gratifying  assurance  of  his  ripe  preparation  for  the  presence 
of  his  Lord.  He  died  lamented  by  the  Christian  world.  His 
bereaved  wife  turned  her  sorrowful  footsteps  toward  her  native 
land,  and  here  gathering  the  children  of  her  husband  under 
her  wing,  one  of  them  her  own,  and  familiar  to  the  readers  of 
poetry  as  her  "  End,"  she  lives  to  illustrate  the  graces  of  intel- 
lectual and  Christian  culture,  and  the  undying  strength  of 
conjugal  and  maternal  devotion. 


GROVER  S.  COMSTOCK. 


Fac  Simile  extract  from  Letter  to  his  Sister,  dated  Ramree,  January  19th,  1841 


^ 


REV.  GROVER   S.  COMSTOCK, 

AMERICAN    BAPTIST    MISSIONARY    UNION. 

BY     REV.     PHARCELLUS     CHURCH,     D.D., 

Brandon,  Vt 

Ml.  he  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  third  son  of  the  Rev,  0. 
C.  Comstock,  and  was  born  at  Ulysses,  New  York,  March  24th, 
1809.  Blessed  with  a  strong  constitution,  and  uniformly  enjoy- 
ing good  health,  he  was  early  sent  to  primary  schools,  and  his 
studies  were  continued  without  interruption  until  his  gradua- 
tion at  Hamilton  College,  June,  1827.  So  exemplary  was  his 
college  life,  that  during  the  whole  of  it  he  received  not  a  single 
admonition  from  either  of  the  faculty.  His  academic  course 
completed,  he  addressed  himself  with  great  earnestness  to  the 
study  of  the  law,  and  in  July,  1830,  was  admitted  an  attorney 


]^50  ^^^-  GROVER  S.  COMSTOCK. 

in  the  Supreme  and  Chancer)^  Courts  in  New  York.  The  hon- 
orable distinction  he  had  maintained  as  a  scholar,  united  with 
his  amiability  of  character,  rendered  bright  his  prospects  for  the 
future.  He  soon  formed  a  professional  connection  with  an 
eminent  counselor  in  the  city  of  Rochester,  New  York,  and  for 
a  few  months  the  study  and  practice  of  the  law  engrossed  his 
attention. 

Rochester  was  about  this  time  visited  by  the  Rev.  C.  G.  Fin- 
ney, and,  in  connection  with  his  labors,  the  city  was  blessed 
with  one  of  the  most  powerful  revivals  of  religion  it  has  ever 
experienced.  It  was  a  glorious  work,  and  one  that  did  more, 
perhaps,  to  determine  the  religious  character  of  the  place  than 
any  other  event  in  its  history.  It  was  during  the  progress  of 
this  work  that  Mr.  Comstock  was  converted,  and  he  was  soon 
after  baptized  by  his  father  into  the  fellowship  of  the  first  Bap- 
tist Church,  of  which  he  was  the  pastor.  The  convictions  of 
duty  which  led  him  as  a  missionary  to  foreign  shores  appear 
to  have  originated  with  his  conversion,  and  he  soon  after  en- 
tered upon  the  study  of  theology,  with  a  view  to  that  work,  at 
the  Hamilton  Literary  and  Theological  Institute. 

His  views  and  feelings  with  reference  to  this  work  may  be 
learned  by  extracts  from  a  letter  to  a  friend,  bearing  date 
March  1st,  1832.  He  says,  "  Last  week  the  Missionary  So- 
ciety of  this  county  met  here,  and  a  blessed  meeting  it  was. 
I  do  believe  the  Lord  looked  down  upon  it  with  approbation. 
The  sermon  by  Elder  Leonard  was  from  the  text,  '  Say  ye  not 
there  are  four  months,  and  then  cometh  the  harvest,'  &c.  The 
harvest,  indeed,  appeared  to  be  great,  and  ready  to  be  gathered 
in.  When  the  necessity  of  entering  into  it  with  the  whole  soul 
was  pressed  upon  the  audience,  and  the  question  asked,  '  Who 


REV.  G ROVER  S.  COMSTOCk.  l/^l 

would  sit  at  ease  and  leave  a  part  of  the  harvest  ah-eady  ripe 
to  the  pitiless  storm  ?'  I  could  but  think  /  would  not  be  the 
person.  But  perhaps  I  should  shrink  when  the  hour  of  trial 
came  !  If  I  should,  how  unworthy  to  bear  the  Christian  name ! 
What  I  shall  a  poor  sinner  who  has  been  redeemed  from  hell 
by  the  precious  blood  of  Christ  refuse  to  go  at  his  Master's  call  I 
May  the  Lord  in  mercy  preserve  me  from  this  sin,  this  base  in- 
gratitude." Having  completed  the  prescribed  course  of  study, 
and  been  accepted  by  the  Foreign  Missionary  Board  as  their 
missionary  to  India,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Davis,  of 
Brookline,  Massachusetts,  and,  with  a  large  company  of  mis- 
sionaries, sailed  from  Boston  in  the  ship  Cashmere,  July  2d, 
1834.  On  the  eve  of  his  embarkation  he  writes,  "  To-morrow 
is  fixed  for  the  day  of  sailing.  Yes,  the  time  has  come  to  sun- 
der all  the  ties  that  bind  me  to  parents,  friends,  and  country. 
And  they  shall  be  freely  sundered.  I  rejoice  in  the  work  which 
God  has  assigned  me.  His  providences  have  been  such  toward 
me  that  I  can  not  doubt  my  duty.  And  let  us  do  our  duty, 
cost  what  it  may.  Fearfully  weighty  responsibilities  rest  upon 
me,  but  "  I  can  do  all  things,  through  Christ  strengthening 
me." 

From  a  letter  to  a  friend,  dated  "  At  sea,  latitude  31°  50' 
north,  and  longitude  49°  46'  west,"  we  learn  something  of  his 
feelings  on  his  voyage  to  Burmah.  He  says,  "  Could  I  seat 
myself  beside  you,  I  should  have  something,  perhaps  much,  to 
say  about  my  feelings  since  last  I  saw  you ;  but  I  can  not 
write  much  about  them.  They  have  been  more  interesting  to 
me,  undoubtedly,  than  they  would  be  to  others,  I  never  felt 
the  privilege  of  loving  and  serving  G-od,  as  I  have  done  on 
board  of  ship.     I  rejoice  that  he  chooses  my  inheritance  for  me. 


152  REV.  G  ROVER  S.  COM  STOCK. 

Thy  will,  0  Lord,  be  done  by  me  and  to  me."  Speaking  of 
his  sea-sickness,  and  of  lying  almost  dying  of  faintness,  he  says, 
"  I  detected  myself  quarreling  with  God  for  visiting  me  thus. 
I  thought  it  was  too  bad  that  I  should  be  unceasingly  tossed 
to  and  fro,  after  leaving  all  my  friends  and  privileges,  to  preach 
the  Grospel  to  the  heathen.  But  as  soon  as  I  was  conscious  of 
the  state  of  my  heart,  I  found  but  little  difficulty  in  bringing 
it  into  submission  to  the  divine  government.  There  are  two 
facts  the  remembrance  of  which  keeps  me  from  repining  at  any 
of  the  dealings  of  G-od  toward  me.  One  is,  I  richly  deserve 
hell.  The  other,  Christ  suffered  beyond  all  human  power  to 
suffer ;  and  died  in  agony  for  my  salvation.  But  I  have  not 
yet  resisted  unto  blood  striving  against  sin." 

After  reaching  Burmah,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Comstock  remained  for 
some  time  at  Amherst  and  Maulmain,  studying  the  language 
of  the  country,  and  preparing  themselves  to  enter  upon  a  per- 
manent station  in  some  one  of  the  provinces.  Arracan  was  at 
that  time  destitute ;  and  though  it  had  the  worst  reputation 
for  climate  of  any  of  the  provinces,  he  finally  determined  to 
make  that  the  field  of  his  labors.  This  country  has  many 
marshes  and  pools,  the  exhalations  from  which,  under  a  burn- 
ing sun,  impregnate  the  air  with  a  poisonous  miasma  which  is 
extremely  fatal  to  the  inhabitants,  and  especially  to  foreigners. 
They  at  length  proceeded  to  this  province,  and  though  com- 
pelled to  change  their  location  several  times,  in  consequence  of 
the  unhealthiness  of  the  climate,  by  the  blessing  of  God  they 
were  permitted  to  spend  their  days  in  Arracan.  Here  for  sev- 
eral years  they  toiled,  labored,  and  prayed.  Here  they  passed 
through  many  seasons  of  trial  and  suffering ;  and  here,  also, 
their  fainting  spirits  were  refreshed  with  manna  from  on  high. 


REV.  GROVER  S.  COMSTOCK.  Jgg 

On  the  21st  of  February,  1837,  a  church  was  constituted  "by 
Mr,  Comstock  in  Kyouk  Phyoo,  consisting  of  eight  members, 
to  whom  he  that  day  broke  bread.  He  says  in  his  journal, 
"  The  day  has  been  one  of  great  interest  to  us,  and  may  the 
little  church  now  formed  here  be  abundantly  blessed  of  God, 
and  soon  embrace  multitudes  of  these  perishing  idolaters." 
Thus  he  labored  on  from  year  to  year — ever  earnest  in  his 
work  ;  ever  ready  to  enter  any  opening  field  ;  ever  prosecuting, 
with  the  enthusiasm  of  the  scholar,  the  philanthropist,  and  the 
Christian,  his  investigations  in  regard  to  the  country  and  its 
inhabitants ;  ever  ready  to  bow  submissively  to  the  dispensa- 
tions of  Providence,  however  dark,  and  apparently  adverse  to 
the  mission,  or  afflictive  to  himself. 

To  the  minds  of  some,  the  missionary  enterprise,  doubtless, 
presents  the  charms  of  romance.  Let  such  reflect  upon  what 
Mr.  Comstock  must  have  endured  the  last  two  years  of  his  life. 
The  first  page  in  this  chapter  of  suffering  was  his  separation 
from  his  children.  On  this  subject  his  wife  wrote  to  a  friend, 
"  You  know  not,  you  never  can  know,  save  by  precisely  the 
same  experiences,  what  this  heart  of  mine  has  endured  in  the 
separation  which  duty,  stern  duty,  required  from  our  darling 
children.  The  thought  that  they  are  gone,  yes,  gone  forever 
from  my  view,  and  at  this  tender  age,  when  they  most  need  a 
mother's  care  and  guidance ;  that  they  are  orphans  by  the  vol- 
untary act  of  their  parents,  is  at  times  almost  too  much  for  my 
aching,  bursting  heart  to  endure.  Had  not  my  Savior,  yes, 
and  a  compassionate  Savior,  added  these  two  words,  "  and  chil- 
dren," to  the  list  of  sacrifices  for  his  sake,  I  might  think  it 
more  than  was  required." 

These  children  sailed  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  KincaiJ,  and  arrived 


154  REV.  G  ROVER  S.  COMSTOCK. 

in  New  York  in  April,  1843.  What  the  parents  endured  when 
they  imprinted  the  last  kiss  upon  these  pledges  of  their  love  is 
better  imagined  than  told.  To  have  ten  thousand  miles  of 
ocean  roll  between  a  young  child  and  the  parents  that  gave  it 
birth,  is  an  idea  that  thrills  on  every  tender  chord  of  the  heart, 
and  leads  those  who  are  parents  involuntarily  to  exclaim,  "  Oh, 
I  could  not  consent  to  such  a  separation  from  my  children  !" 

About  the  time  of  the  arrival  of  the  children  in  this  coun- 
try, Mr.  Comstock  endured  a  still  heavier  pang  of  separation. 
The  partner  of  his  bosom,  and  the  companion  of  his  toils  and 
privations,  was  not,  for  Grod  took  her.  "  She  was  taken  severely 
ill  with  dysentery,  a  disorder  not  uncommon  among  foreign 
residents  in  a  tropical  climate.  Her  period  of  sickness  was 
short,  and  little  or  no  opportunity  was  afforded  for  conversa- 
tion or  the  interchange  of  parting  words.  On  the  28th  of  April, 
1843,  she  passed  away  from  the  scenes  of  her  earthly  labors  to 
her  rest  on  high,  leaving  behind  her  in  that  heathen  land  many 
a  mourner  beside  him  who  felt,  in  that  trying  hour,  that  death 
had  bereaved  him  of  his  dearest  treasure  this  side  the  grave." 
Still,  he  had  with  him  two  infant  children  to  call  for  his  ten- 
derest  assiduities,  and  to  afford  him  a  little  relief  in  the  bitter- 
ness of  his  solitude.  But  even  these,  in  a  few  short  weeks, 
were  also  taken.  "I  wrote  you,"  he  says,  "just  after  the 
death  of  my  dear  Sarah,  and,  before  this  reaches  you,  I  doubt 
not  you  will  have  heard  of  the  further  chastening  with  which 
it  has  pleased  our  heavenly  Father  to  visit  me.  June  12th,  at 
about  two  in  the  morning,  my  darling  Robert  breathed  his  last, 
after  several  hours  of  convulsive  agony.  He  had  been  sick  but 
three  days.  He  was  a  remarkably  intelligent  and  amiable  boy, 
and  was  a  great  deal  of  society  and  comfort  to  me  after  his 


REV.  GROVER   S.  COMSTOCK.  -^^Q 

mother's  death.  July  1st,  my  sweet  babe  left  me,  I  doubt  not, 
to  join  his  mother  and  brother  in  heaven.  How  I  felt  as  I 
watched  the  dying  struggles  of  those  dear  ones,  prepared  their 
bodies  for  the  grave,  and  conducted  their  burial,  you  can  not 
fully  conceive,  nor  can  you  imagine  the  feelings  which  thoughts 
of  them  sometimes  excite  in  my  lonely  heart." 

What  but  the  spu-it  of  the  living  Grod  actually  working  in 
the  soul  could  sustain  a  man  amid  such  scenes  as  these  ?  Ah  I 
poetry  and  romance  would  shrink  appalled  before  the  dread  re- 
alities of  such  an  ordeal.  But  genuine  faith,  and  Christian 
hope,  and  holy  love,  will  enable  the  soul  to  more  than  conquer, 
and  make  it  serene  even  m  death. 

Thus  bereaved  of  his  entire  family,  a  solitary  wanderer  in  a 
Pagan  land,  he  says,  in  writing  to  a  friend,  "  God  has  taught 
me  more  of  his  loving  kindness  by  my  afflictions  than  I  had 
ever  learned  or  conceived  amid  the  abundant  temporal  mercies 
that  have  heretofore  crowned  my  path.  I  must  confess,  how- 
ever, as  I  look  back  upon  my  course,  that  as  my  day,  so  has 
my  strength  ever  been.  At  tmies  I  am  completely  overwhelm- 
ed by  my  views  of  the  goodness  of  Grod  to  me,  and  can  only 
cry  out,  '  Infinite,  infinite  mercy  to  a  most  vile  and  loathsome 
wretch  I'  The  Savior  kindly  grants  me  so  much  of  his  pres- 
ence and  his  peace,  that  I  seldom  feel  disconsolate  or  desolate." 

At  a  later  date  he  writes,  "  I  have  recovered  from  an  attack 
of  fever,  which  was  of  short  continuance,  but  for  a  few  days 
was  very  severe.  It  was  attended  by  intense  heat  in  the  head 
and  stomach,  and  greatly  weakened  me.  This  was  the  first 
time  I  have  been  helpless  since  I  was  left  alone,  and  I  found 
it  not  very  pleasant  to  be  entirely  in  the  hands  of  natives  un- 
der such  circumstances  ;  but  they  endeavored  to  do  as  well  as 


156  ^^^-  GROVER  S.  COMSTOCK. 

they  could,  and  I  got  along  very  well.  Of  course,  I  must  learn 
to  suffer  as  well  as  to  labor  alone.  The  Lord  was  nigh  to  me, 
and  I  felt  calm,  and  quite  willing  that  he  should  do  with  me 
whatever  is  most  for  his  glory.  I  have  little  to  live  for  hut  to 
do  the  will  of  Gfod,  and  should  he  call  me  to  a  higher  and  purer 
service,  I  would  not  tarry  here.  It  seems,  however,  very  de- 
sirable that  I  should  live  until  other  missionaries  come  to  Ar- 
racan.  But  the  Lord  knows  best,  and  I  am  quite  willing  to 
leave  all  to  him.  For  my  children  I  can  do  little,  and  there  is 
little  cause  of  anxiety  in  reference  to  them." 

Finally,  the  chapter  of  his  pains  winds  up  with  his  own  at- 
tack with  one  of  the  most  fearful  diseases  to  which  flesh  is 
heir.  In  the  solitude  of  his  heathen  home,  surrounded  by  the 
dark  natives  of  Arracan — that  province  for  which  he  had  la- 
bored with  such  self-consuming,  self-forgetting  zeal — he  yield- 
ed up  his  life,  April  25th,  1844,  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-five 
years.  In  a  letter  from  Mr.  Stilson,  a  few  days  after  he  was 
called  from  his  labors  to  his  reward,  we  have  the  following  par- 
ticulars concerning  the  closing  scenes  of  his  missionary  life  : 

"  I  had  the  painful  privilege  of  watching  over  him  through 
his  sickness,  at  least  from  the  time  that  I  became  acquainted 
with  the  fact  that  he  was  ill.  On  the  23d  he  appeared  as  well 
and  cheerful  as  usual,  and  when  he  retired  to  rest  no  one  of  us 
supposed  that  he  was  not  in  perfect  health.  We  knew  noth- 
ing of  his  illness  until  the  next  morning,  when  he  called  for 
and  took  a  little  medicine.  He  then  stated  that  he  had  been 
ill  all  night.  As  he  appeared  not  to  obtain  relief  from  the  med- 
icine, he  requested  me  to  send  for  a  physician,  which  I  did  im- 
mediately. The  physician,  Dr.  Archer,  commenced  an  active 
course  of  treatment  for  the  cholera,  and  succeeded,  after  some 


REV.  GROVER   S.  COMSTOCK.  -^^J 

six  or  eight  hours,  in  checking  it ;  but  a  low  fever  followed, 
and,  as  his  strength  was  too  far  reduced  to  endure  it,  it  proved 
fatal.  Our  brother  called  me  to  his  bedside  on  the  24th,  and 
after  stating  that  there  was  more  probability  that  he  should  die 
than  that  he  should  recover,  he  wished  me  to  dispose  of  certain 
articles  in  presents  to  his  children  and  to  others,  and  also  to 
arrange  certain  matters  that  he  named  ;  adding  that  papers  in 
his  desk  would  explain  the  rest.  He  then  said  to  me  in  sub- 
stance as  follows  :  '  I  did  desire  to  live  a  little  longer  to  labor 
for  G-od.  I  hoped  to  return  to  Ramree  and  baptize  Pah  Tau 
and  the  boys'  (naming  one  Burman,  whom  he  had  employed 
as  a  copyist,  and  who  had  recently  declared  his  faith  in  Christ ; 
also  three  school-boys  who  had  professed  Christ,  but  had  never 
had  courage  to  be  baptized) ;  '  but  if  the  Lord  has  no  more  for 
me  to  do,  I  can  cheerfully  leave  the  world  now.  I  have  no 
earthly  cords  to  bind  me  here.  My  trust  is  in  the  Lord.  He 
who  has  been  with  me  thus  far,  will  still  be  with  me  and  take 
care  of  me.  I  have  no  fear  to  die  ;  my  faith  is  fixed  on  Jesus. 
1  wish  you  to  state  distinctly  to  my  friends  at  home  that  I 
have  never  in  the  least  regretted  having  come  to  this  country.' 
I  then,  at  his  request,  read  the  8th  chapter  of  Romans,  and 
prayed  with  him.  After  this  he  never  said  a  word  about  his 
temporal  affairs,  and  seldom  spoke  at  all,  except  when  asked  a 
question,  unless  to  tell  what  he  wanted  as  food  or  drink.  When 
asked  if  his  thoughts  were  much  on  Grod  and  heaven,  he  would 
sometimes,  after  several  unavailing  attempts  to  speak,  point 
upward,  and  with  a  smile  seem  to  say,  '  There  is  my  home, 
and  there  I  long  to  be.'  It  was  with  great  difficulty  he  could 
speak  after  noon  of  the  24th ;  but  still,  except  for  a  few  mo- 
ments, he  seemed  to  retain  his  reason  till  very  near  the  last." 


X58  ^^^-  GROVER   S.  COMSTOCK. 

*  *  *  *  *  Thus  was  removed  one  of  the 
most  valuable  men  connected  with  this  mission.  "  In  the  death 
of  Mr.  Comstock,"  says  Professor  G-ammel,  "  the  unfortunate 
mission  was  afflicted  with  the  severest  loss  it  could  sustain. 
He  was  a  missionary  of  superior  education,  and  of  the  noblest 
qualities  of  character  ;  and  during  the  nine  years  of  his  res- 
idence in  Arracan,had  been  distinguished  for  his  wisdom,  fidel- 
ity, and  useful  labors.  In  addition  to  his  services  to  the  mis- 
sion, he  had  nearly  completed  an  elaborate  work  on  the  condi- 
tion of  the  province  and  its  inhabitants,  and  the  changes  which 
had  been  wrought  by  the  missionaries  and  the  English  res- 
idents. He  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-five,  ere  he  had  reached 
the  meridian  of  his  days,  just  at  the  period  when  the  mission, 
already  paralyzed  by  repeated  bereavements,  seemed  most  to 
need  the  services  and  the  counsels  which  his  sound  discretion 
and  long  experience  so  well  fitted  him  to  bestow." 

We  can  not  forbear  a  remark,  in  concluding  our  sketch,  upon 
the  strength  of  the  impression  in  favor  of  Christianity  which 
is  produced  by  these  voluntary  exposures  of  life  for  its  exten- 
sion. As  they  were  the  credentials  of  Paul  and  his  coadjutors 
in  labor,  so  they  are  in  every  age  the  most  powerful  testimoni- 
als to  the  integrity  of  the  Christian  principle.  Let  no  one  say, 
therefore,  or  feel,  that  the  missionary  who  dies  young  has  ac- 
complished nothing.  The  man  who,  from  consistent  motives 
and  in  a  judicious  manner,  exposes  his  life  for  the  name  of  Je- 
sus, and,  as  a  consequence,  dies  young,  furnishes  to  his  own 
age  the  most  effectual  argument  for  the  vigor  of  the  Christian 
spirit.  To  see  a  great  and  good  man  struggling  with  formida- 
ble difficulties  in  the  pursuit  of  a  worthy  object,  is  a  scene  full 
of  moral  sublimity.     To  see  him  abjuring  the  ties  of  kindred 


REV.  GROVER   S.  COMSTOCK.  ^QQ 

and  of  home,  spurning  his  prospects  of  ease  and  affluence,  and 
betaking  himself  to  a  remote  corner  of  the  globe,  where  bar- 
barism sits  enthroned,  and  pestilence  walketh  in  darkness  or 
wasteth  at  noonday,  that  he  may  live,  and  labor,  and  suffer, 
and  die  in  that  cause  for  which  the  Son  of  God  gave  his  life, 
and  which  involves  the  best  interests  of  man  for  time  and  eter- 
nity, is  a  spectacle  that  the  world  must  continue  to  feel  pow- 
erfully, so  long  as  it  retains  one  cord  of  sympathy  for  deeds 
of  valor,  benevolence,  or  magnanimity. 

Oh  how  much  above  the  prowess  of  embattled  hosts  is  a  scene 
like  this !  Armies  expose  themselves  to  kill  and  to  destroy ; 
but  the  missionary  does  it  to  comfort  and  to  save.  Their  record 
is  seen  in  burning  cities,  a  desolated  land,  the  groans  and  tears 
of  wretchedness  and  sorrow ;  while  intelligence,  virtue,  and  sal- 
vation from  an  endless  hell  wait  on  his  career,  to  afford  a  re- 
ward of  his  labors  more  imperishable  than  triumphal  arches  or 
golden  thrones. 

Our  sacrifices  in  the  work  of  modern  missions  are  a  new  and 
imperishable  monument  to  Christianity.  How  can  a  cause  fail 
which  inspires  in  its  votaries  such  a  willingness  to  die  in  its 
defense !  So  long  as  the  Church  retains  a  few  in  her  bosom 
of  whom  it  may  be  said,  "  these  are  the  men  who  have  haz- 
arded their  lives  for  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  so  long 
she  can  not  fail  to  go  on  conquering  and  to  conquer. 


SARAH  D.  COMSTOCK. 


Fac  Simile  extract  from  Letter  to  her  Parents,  dated  Kyouk  Phyoo,  February 

22d,  1836. 


y^Z^K^ 


^^i^S«l/ 


MRS.  SARAH    DAVIS    COMSTOCK, 

AMERICAN     BAPTIST     MISSIONARY     UNION. 

BY     R  E  V.    S.   F.    S  M  I  T  H, 
Newton  Centre,  Mass. 

JLN  the  history  of  missions  some  of  the  most  amiable  linea- 
ments of  human  character  have  been  displayed.  It  has  been 
said  that  circumstances  develop  the  man,  and  that  we  know 
not  what  is  in  a  man  until  he  is  subjected  to  emergencies 
which  bring  out  his  noble  traits.  Thus  Luther  might  have 
lived  and  died  a  monk,  a  man  unknown  to  fame,  and  having 
exercised  no  important  influence  on  the  world,  had  he  not  lived 
in  the  conjuncture  of  events,  in  the  focus  of  influences  which 


-j^g^  MRS.  SARAH  DAVIS   COMSTOCK. 

kindled  his  soul  to  great  enterprises,  and  stirred  him  to  attempt 
the  purification  of  a  corrupted  Church.  The  missionary  enter- 
prise has  brought  to  light  many  noble  and  beautiful  traits,  par- 
ticularly of  female  character,  which,  apart  from  this  agency, 
might  have  been  deemed  the  conceptions  of  poets  rather  than 
realities.  In  this  field  excellences  have  been  developed  on  a 
liberal  scale.  Piety,  perseverance,  patient  endurance,  and  self- 
denial  have  shone  forth  with  a  wild  and  striking  radiance. 
Where  hope  has  sunk  under  despondency,  and  the  tenderest  af- 
fections of  a  human  soul  have  been  crushed,  torn,  severed,  we 
have  seen,  in  the  progress  of  this  enterprise,  how  not  only 
strong  and  decided  man,  but  also  frail  and  gentle  woman,  could 
yield  with  uncomplaining  submission.  The  missionary  enter- 
prise is  valuable  in  itself,  and  for  its  evangelical  results.  It  is 
also  valuable  for  the  light  it  has  shed  on  the  best  side  of  hu- 
man character  ;  for  its  illustrious  tribute  to  the  spirit  and  the 
influence  of  true  religion. 

In  the  missionary  career  of  Mrs.  Sarah  Davis  Comstock,  these 
things  are  abundantly  illustrated.  She  was  born  at  Brookline, 
Massachusetts,  September  24th,  1812,  In  early  life  she  exhib- 
ited the  most  amiable  traits  of  character,  giving  promise  of  a 
rich  harvest  in  advancing  years.  She  was  of  an  energetic,  per- 
severing, effective,  and  yet  mild  and  loving  spirit.  She  knew 
how  to  love  deeply  and  tenderly ;  yet  she  also  knew  how  to 
control  the  supremacy  of  affections  which  interfered  with  the 
claims  of  duty.  She  was  cheerful,  frank,  lively,  fitted  to  enjoy 
life  and  society.  By  a  pious  mother  she  was  trained  to  early 
obedience  and  energetic  activity.  She  honestly  expressed  her 
own  opinions  and  feelings,  yet  she  manifested  the  nicest  regard 
for  the  feelings  of  others — the  essence  of  true  politeness.     Thus 


MRS.  SARAH  DAVIS   COMSTOCK.  ^g^ 

she  grew  up  as  a  tender  plant,  shielded  from  the  fierce  winds 
of  temptation,  and  enjoying  the  choicest  influences  of  society 
and  friendship.  Life  spread  before  her  its  rich  parterre,  and 
every  thing  promised  a  career  of  sunshine  and  joy. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen  she  became  hopefully  pious.  Her  re- 
ligious exercises  were  clear,  calm,  thorough,  and  evangelical, 
and  led  to  the  manifestation  of  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit.  Among 
these  fruits  were  sincere  compassion  for  the  ungodly,  and  an 
earnest  desire  to  attempt  their  conversion.  This  desire  grew 
with  her  Christian  advancement,  and  became  strengthened  by 
exercise.  At  length  it  exhibited  itself  in  the  form  of  a  deep 
interest  in  the  salvation  of  the  heathen. 

When  G-od  designs  any  one  for  a  great  work,  he  generally 
prepares  the  person  for  that  work.  So  it  was  in  the  case  of  this 
beloved  missionary.  God  gave  her  an  adaptation  to  her  future 
employment  in  the  original  structure  of  her  mind,  and  in  the 
endowments  of  her  intellect  and  heart.  With  the  progress  of 
her  culture  and  piety,  she  was  led  to  contemplate  a  personal  en- 
gagement in  missionary  efforts  with  increasing  interest  and  fer- 
vor. While  she  was  musing,  the  fire  burned.  Arguments  for 
the  devotion  of  herself  to  the  work  clustered  thickly  around  her. 
A  willing  heart  conquered  obstacles.  She  was,  it  is  true,  young 
and  weak.  In  her  inexperience,  she  might  meet  with  unex- 
pected difficulties.  She  might  encounter  dangers  formidable 
even  to  the  bold  and  ardent  man,  who  had  faced  death  in  ter- 
rific forms.  But  she  feared  not,  at  the  command  of  the  as- 
cended Redeemer,  to  go  forward.  Her  decision  was  not  the 
fruit  of  a  youthful  enthusiasm.  It  was  not  the  effect  of  an  im- 
agination, ardent  and  glowing,  stimulated  by  pictures  which 
imposed  upon  the  mind,  but  of  which  the  sober  judgment  took 


-^QQ  MRS.  SARAH  DAVIS   COMSTOCK. 

no  cognizance.  It  was  no  overweening  sense  of  personal  fitness 
for  the  great  undertaking  that  prompted  her  to  offer  herself  for 
the  arduous  service.  It  was  a  high  sense  of  duty.  It  was  a 
feeling  of  gratitude  and  love  to  the  divine  Redeemer,  the  Sav- 
ior of  her  soul. 

Her  own  words  admirably  disclose  the  feelings  with  which 
she  contemplated  the  work. 

"  In  coming  to  this  important  decision,"  she  says,  "  I  have 
not  been  guided  by  that  enthusiasm  with  which  some  may  be 
ready  to  charge  me,  nor  have  I  acted  with  that  precipitancy 
which  may,  perhaps,  justly  be  considered  an  ingredient  in  my 
character.  No ;  my  conduct  is  the  result  of  calm,  deliberate, 
and  rational  reflection.  Nor  was  it  without  many  a  struggle 
between  conviction  of  duty  and  natural  affection — many  an 
agonizing  prayer  for  divine  aid,  that  I  could  say,  '  Thy  will  be 
done.'  Never  is  the  mystery  of  my  being  led  to  this  under- 
taking more  insoluble  than  when  I  consider  my  unfitness  for 
so  holy  and  responsible  a  station  as  that  of  a  missionary  of  the 
cross.  And  yet  I  know  that  is  naught  to  me,  since  thus  Grod 
hath  directed  it.  For  what  am  I  that  I  should  thus  plead  my 
weakness,  and  so  limit  the  Almighty,  in  whom  all  fullness 
dwells,  to  a  certain  degree  of  human  power.  I  have  no  excuse 
that  I  dare  offer  for  refusing  to  go  to  benighted  Burmah.  I 
believe  God  has  directed  me  thither ;  and,  should  I  dissent,  I 
know  I  could  not, with  unstained  raiment,  meet  the  heathen  at 
the  judgment  bar.  No,  the  wailings  of  those  who  perish  with- 
out having  heard  of  a  Savior's  love  would  upbraid  me  for  my 
selfish  love  of  ease, 

"  '  And  all  the  cultured  joys,  ronveniencos, 
And  delicate  delig^hts  of  ripe  society.' 


MRS.  SARAH  DAVIS   COMSTOCK  -^Qf^ 

"  What  though  trials,  suffering,  and  danger  be  my  earthly 
lot  ?  Shall  I  fear  to  follow  where  my  Savior  leads  ?  Shall  I 
shrink  from  persecution  and  reproach,  or  tremble  before  the 
stake,  if  the  cause  of  him  who  withheld  not  his  life  for  me  re- 
quires this  at  my  hands  ?  Gratitude  forbids  it.  Yes,  and  it 
seems  even  a  privilege  to  be  cast  into  the  furnace  for  the  sake 
of  walking  with  Jesus.  Though  of  myself  I  can  do  nothing, 
my  strength  being  perfect  weakness,  yet  I  can  do  all  things, 
and  bear  all  sufferings,  if  my  Lord  be  there.  Though  unwor- 
thy the  high  honor,  yet  I  feel  it  will  be  my  privilege  to  wear 
out  life  in  winning  souls  to  G-od." 

At  the  outset,  Mrs.  Comstock  expected  to  go  forth  unmar- 
ried. In  the  year  1832,  she  offered  herself  to  the  Board  of 
Missions  as  a  candidate  for  foreign  service,  with  no  other  pros- 
pect. Such  was  her  desire  to  labor  for  the  heathen,  that  she 
was  contented  to  spend  her  life  in  connection  with  some  mis- 
sionary family,  making  known  in  an  unpretending  sphere  the 
unsearchable  riches  of  Christ.  But  God  had  another  plan  in 
respect  to  her.  At  the  time  of  her  examination  and  accept- 
ance by  the  Board,  another  candidate.  Rev.  G- rover  S.  Com- 
stock, was  also  appointed  to  a  like  trust,  who  became,  subse- 
quently, her  beloved  companion  and  fellow-laborer.  God  had 
marked  out  her  path  of  duty  in  his  providence ;  by  this  ar- 
rangement he  lightened  its  toils  and  mitigated  its  sorrows  ;  in- 
creasing her  means  of  usefulness,  giving  her  one  to  share  her 
responsibilities,  and  opening  a  way  by  which  her  character  as 
a  Christian  and  a  missionary  might  be  developed  in  new  lights, 
and  shine  more  brightly  to  the  glory  of  God. 

Having  been  accepted  as  a  missionary,  she  spent  several 
months  at  Hamilton,  New  York,  in  the  study  of  the  Burman 


\Qg  MRS.  SARAH  DAVIS  COMSTOCK. 

language,  under  the  instruction  of  returned  missionaries  resid- 
ing temporarily  in  that  place.  She  was  married  June  24th, 
1834,  and  sailed  for  her  new  and  distant  home  July  2d.  Dur- 
ing the  interval  between  her  acceptance  as  a  missionary  and 
her  marriage  and  departure,  she  had  abundant  opportunity  to 
review  the  step  she  had  contemplated,  and  to  change  her  de- 
cision. She  was  now  separated,  for  a  season,  from  the  friends 
among  whom  she  had  been  brought  up,  and  tenderly  cherished 
and  beloved.  Her  ears  listened  to  the  sound  of  a  strange  lan- 
guage— the  language  in  which  heathen  men  offered  their  ado- 
ration to  unknown  gods.  With  the  aid  of  a  vivid  imagination 
she  was  able  to  look  forward  into  the  future,  and  to  examine 
herself  whether  she  was  able  to  drink  of  the  cup  which  she  had 
desired  to  have  put  into  her  hands.  But  she  shrunk  not  from 
the  sacrifice.  She  recoiled  not,  when  the  hour  of  trial  stood 
full  in  her  view.  Her  consecration  was  as  full,  as  hearty,  and 
as  cheerful  as  when  she  first  anticipated  the  sacred  trust.  She 
was  serene  and  collected,  while  friends  wept  around  her.  She 
was  steadfast  in  her  purpose,  though  she  knew  the  rending  of  the 
ties  of  nature  which  its  consummation  would  involve.  Her  eyes 
were  directed  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  to  the  work  to  which  he  had 
called  her,  and  to  the  crown  of  glory  which  can  not  fade  away. 

It  is  pleasant  to  learn  the  feelings  with  which  she  departed 
from  her  native  land.  We  quote  from  a  letter,  written  just  a 
year  after  her  embarkation : 

"I  can  not  suffer  my  eyes  to  close  without  holding  a  few 
moments'  silent,  yet  sweet  converse  with  those  far-off  but  loved 
friends,  with  whom,  just  one  year  since,  I  left  for  the  last  time 
the  dear  paternal  roof.  Yes,  this  is  the  anniversary  of  that 
never-to-be-forgotten  day,  on  which  I  took  a  returnless  ster* 


MRS.  SARAH  DAVIS   COMSTOCK.  Jgg 

from  my  native  village,  from  my  home  and  friends.  Ah  I  w^ell 
do  I  remember  that  day,  that  last  hour.  You  know,  dear 
parents,  that  we  met  Mr.  Comstock  on  our  way  to  Boston  ;  and 
I  returned  with  him  and  remained  about  an  hour.  That  hour 
memory  had  deeply  engraved.  Even  '  Time's  effacing  fingers' 
will  fail  to  erase  it.  It  seems  as  if  it  were  but  yesterday  that 
I  re-entered  the  door  from  which, with  you, I  had  just  come  out, 
as  I  thought,  for  the  last  time,  and  found  all  still,  silent,  and 
forsaken.  I  sauntered  through  the  house,  and  at  last  found 
S ,  seated  on  the  upper  stairs  in  tears.  She  was  sole  oc- 
cupant. I  took  another  last  look  at  each  room  ;  but  all  was  as 
the  stillness  of  death.  In  the  south  front  chamber  Mr.  Com- 
stock and  myself  knelt  in  prayer  for  the  last  time.  It  was 
during  that  prayer  that  my  feelings  for  the  first  time  overcame 
me,  in  view  of  the  trying  scenes  before  me.  But  the  conquest 
was  momentary.  A  thought  of  the  shortness  of  time,  the 
wretchedness  of  the  heathen,  and  the  dying  love  of  their  and 
my  Savior,  soon  restored  tranquillity  and  peace. 

"  I  next  went  into  the  north  front  chamber,  that  place  which 
had  so  often  been  a  Bethel  to  my  soul.  As  I  gazed  about  the 
room,  my  eyes  fastened  upon  one  chosen  spot,  in  which  my  Sav- 
ior had  oft  deigned  to  bless  me  with  his  presence.  And  while  I 
thought  of  the  many  delightful  hours  spent  there  in  pleading 
for  my  dear  Sabbath-school  class,  brothers,  the  heathen,  and 
for  a  knowledge  of  the  divine  will  in  relation  to  my  future  life, 
I  could  scarcely  forbear  uttering  the  words  of  the  poet  ; 

" '  To  leave  my  dear  friends,  and  from  kindred  to  part, 
To  go  from  my  home,  it  affects  not  my  heart, 
Like  the  thought  of  absenting  myself  for  a  day 
From  that  blessed  retreat  where  I've  chosen  to  pray.' 


■^<yQ  MRS.  SARAH  DAVIS   COMSTOCK 

"  Yes,  dear  parents,  that  was  a  chosen  retreat ;  and  it  was 
not  without  a  struggle  that  I  was  enabled  to  leave  it.  While 
I  stood,  silently  and  sad,  musing  on  the  past,  the  thought  oc- 
curred that 

"  '  My  Savior  resides  every  vv'here. 
And  can  in  all  places  give  answer  to  prayer.' 

Then  I  threw  myself  upon  my  knees,  and  alone  once  more 
offered  a  farewell  petition  '  with  thanksgiving,'  and  forever  left 
a  spot  dearer  to  me  than  all  others  in  my  native  land." 

When  the  last  embraces  had  been  given,  and  the  vessel  had 
moved  from  the  wharf,  the  clear  sound  of  the  voices  of  the 
departing  servants  of  God  was  heard  singing  the  missionary 
hymn,  '  Yes,  my  native  land,  I  love  thee.'  Some  of  them  were 
destined,  in  the  providence  of  G-od,  to  revisit,  in  after  years, 
the  homes  of  their  childhood,  some  to  return  no  more.  But 
they  went  forth  in  cheerful  trust,  leaning  on  the  Gfod  of  Mis- 
sions. They  reached  Amherst  on  the  6th  of  December,  1834, 
after  a  voyage  of  five  months.  The  field  of  labor  assigned  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Comstock  was  Arracan.  Their  principal  residence 
,  was  at  Ramree,  where  for  several  years  they  labored  and  en- 
dured in  the  Master's  service. 

The  lapse  of  time  confirmed  the  conviction  of  Mrs.  Comstock 
that  she  was  treading  in  the  path  of  duty.  Instead  of  grow- 
ing weary  in  her  work,  she  was  contented  and  happy  in  it,  con- 
fident that  she  had  followed  the  leadings  of  that  finger  which 
never  points  astray.  After  she  had  spent  four  years  among 
the  heathen,  she  wrote  to  a  familiar  friend, 

"Never,  no,  never,  for  a  moment,  from  the  time  that  the 
Board  said  to  me,  'You  may  go,'  until  now,  have  T  felt  even 
the  shadow  of  a  '  secret  misgiving'  as  to  the  path  of  duty.     I 


MRS.  SARAH  DAVIS   COMSTOCK.  Iwl 

believe,  fully  and  unequivocally,  that,  unworthy,  unfit,  and  un- 
faithful as  I  am,  I  am  where  Grod  has  led,  and  where  he  would 
have  me  labor." 

Four  years  later,  she  wrote,  "Unworthy  as  I  am,  and  un- 
profitable as  my  life  has  been,  I  can  not  think  I  erred  in  coming 
here.  I  am  guilty  of  having  so  little  faith,  love,  and  holiness  ; 
but  I  am  here  because  God  sent  me  hither.  I  can  not  regret 
it.  No ;  whatever  may  befall  me,  whatever  may  befall  my  be- 
loved children  after  me,  I  have  the  consolation  of  knowing  that 
Grod  chose  my  inheritance  for  me,  and  he  can  not  err.  He  said 
by  his  providence,  in  language  too  plain  to  be  misunderstood 
or  doubted,  '  Gro ;'  and  1  came  in  obedience  to  his  mandate 
only." 

We  quote  another  extract  from  a  letter  to  her  foster-father, 
which  breathes  the  same  spirit. 

"  The  Sabbath  sun  is  just  going  down  in  the  west.  I  have 
a  moment  merely  before  the  evening  prayer-meeting,  and  that 
I  will  spend  in  conversing  with  you.  I  have  been  thinking  a 
great  deal  of  father  this  afternoon,  and  of  your  sermons,  and 
comments  on  passages  of  Scripture,  which  I  so  often  have 
listened  to  with  pleasure.  Sometimes  the  thought  that  I  shall 
never  more  on  earth  behold  your  venerable  countenance,  nor 
listen  to  the  voice  of  parental  admonition,  causes  a  momentary 
sadness,  but  no  regret.  No ;  though  aware  that  when  I  left 
you  I  lost  a  father's  care,  a  father's  counsel,  and  a  father's 
home,  yet  conscience  tells  me  that  in  so  doing  I  performed  a 
duty  that  I  owed  myself,  the  heathen,  and  my  God.  And  J 
ca7i  not  REGRET  it.  I  shall  never  more  meet  my  dear  father 
in  the  flesh ;  I  shall  no  more  sit  beside  him,  and  talk  of  earthly 
or  of  heavenly  things.     But  shall  I  not  see  him  face  to  face  in 


J72  MRS.  SARAH  DAVIS  COMSTOCK. 

glory  ?  Shall  I  not  be  permitted  there  to  join  him  in  the  song, 
'Worthy  the  Lamb?'  And  beside  us,  shall  not  the  voices  of 
redeemed  Arracanese  sweetly  echo  the  song?     Yes. 

"  *  There  on  a  green  and  flowery  mount 
Our  weary  souls  shall  sit, 
And  with  transporting  joy  recount 
The  labors  of  our  feet.' 

Will  not  that,  dear  father,  be  a  happy  day?  We  shall  there 
feel  no  loss  of  spiritual  privileges — no  more  temptation,  no  more 
sin.  And  to  dwell  with  Jesus  will  be  the  consummation  of 
bliss.     More  than  this,  we  know  that  our  joys  are  eternal." 

As  one  who  had  made  a  complete  consecration  of  herself  to 
the  service  of  God,  Mrs.  Comstock  engaged  with  zeal  and  dil- 
igence in  the  duties  of  her  calling.  With  a  versatile  genius, 
she  turned  herself  to  every  office  in  which  she  could  fulfill  her 
high  behest.  In  labors  she  was  abundant.  Nothing  that  was 
committed  to  her  trust  suffered  for  want  of  due  attention.  Her 
care  extended  both  to  the  souls  and  bodies  of  the  heathen.  She 
gave  healing  medicines  and  advice  to  the  sick.  She  related 
the  story  of  the  Cross  to  the  ignorant,  and  unfolded  to  them  the 
way  of  salvation.  She  gathered  around  her  the  mothers  with 
their  children,  making  herself  the  centre  of  a  circle  of  loving 
hearts,  and  taught  them  all  the  bliss  of  loving  Christ.  Be- 
sides her  other  labors,  she  wrote  the  "Mother's  Book"  and  the 
"  Scripture  Catechism" — works  which  have  been  of  great  serv- 
ice in  the  mission,  and  through  which  she,  "being  dead,  yet 
speaketh." 

The  care  of  her  own  soul  was  not  neglected  by  Mrs.  Com- 
stock in  her  labors  for  the  good  of  others.  She  suffered  no 
outward  activity  to  stand  in  the  place  of  holiness  of  heart.     She 


MRS.  SARAH  DAVIS   COMSTOCK.  "l^i^Q 

subjected  herself  to  the  most  rigid  self-examination,  and  felt 
the  importance  of  a  personal  walk  with  G-od.  She  valued  those 
habits  of  soul,  in  the  absence  of  which  piety  can  not  thrive, 
either  in  the  Christian  at  home  or  in  the  missionary  abroad. 
In  a  letter  in  which  she  had  spoken  of  seeing  again  the  loved 
and  cherished  friends  of  her  childhood,  she  proceeds  to  say: 

"  This,  however,  is  a  privilege  which  we  can  not  expect  on 
earth.  And,  that  I  may  enjoy  it  after  this  earthly  pilgrimage 
is  ended,  I  must  strive  daily  for  more  of  that  '  mind  which  was 
in  Christ  Jesus.'  How  short,  how  uncertain  a  thing  does  life 
appear !  To-day  we  have  heard  that  Sister  Jones,  of  Bangkok, 
has  gone  to  her  rest.  Thus  one  after  another  of  our  little 
number  are  called  home.  How  soon  will  you  hear  the  same 
tidings  of  Sarah  I  It  matters  not  how  soon,  if  she  has  but '  the 
lamp  trimmed  and  burning.'  But  I  feel  that  I  have  lived  thus 
far  to  but  little,  very  little  purpose.  Once,  when  in  Kyouk 
Phyoo,  I  seemed  to  be  just  passing  death's  open  door.  I 
thought,  I  felt,  as  I  wish  I  could  always  now  feel  in  reference 
to  earth  and  earthly  scenes,  and  in  reference  to  the  perishing 
heathen.  How  infinitely  trifling  looked  every  thing  not  con- 
nected with  heaven  and  hell  I  This  world  and  its  vanities  were 
less  than  nothing.  How  can  we  think  so  much  of  them  when 
death  is  not  staring  us  in  the  face.  I  think  I  have  felt,  for  a 
week  or  ten  days  past,  some  desire  to  die  to  the  world  and  its 
allurements,  and  to  live  as  a  candidate  for  the  day  of  final  ret- 
ribution. But  I  am  a  mere  dwarf  in  religion,  real  heart-re- 
ligion ;  and  sometimes  I  fear  I  know  nothing  yet  about  it  as  I 
ought  to  know.  Do  you,  dear  parents,  pray  for  us  ?  Do  you 
pray  that  we  may  abound  in  the  love  of  G-od,  and  in  useful- 
ness among  the  heathen  ?     You  need  not  feel  any  anxiety 


^174  MRS.  SARAH  DAVIS   COMSTOCK. 

about  our  temporal  welfare  ;  there  is  no  danger  in  that  respect. 
But  keep  the  prayerful  incense  burning  on  the  altar  for  our 
sakes." 

Her  thoughts  evidently  dwelt  much  on  her  own  religious 
state,  as  well  as  on  her  relations  to  the  heathen.  A  few  months 
after  the  above,  she  wrote  again  as  follows  : 

"  I  feel  this  climate  to  be  very  debilitating,  and  energy  of 
mind  decreases  in  as  rapid  a  ratio  as  strength  of  body.  But 
oh,  if  in  my  weakness  Almighty  strength  is  perfected  in  bring- 
ing some  of  these  poor,  deluded  children  of  idolatry  to  Christ, 
it  is  all  I  can  desire.  But  I  have  too  little  love  for  Grod,  too 
little  compassion  for  these  dying  thousands,  too  little  faith,  too 
little  of  a  spirit  of  prayer.  Every  thing  here  has  a  tendency 
to  quench  the  fire  of  devotion — of  true,  heart-religion,  and  it  is 
very  hard  to  keep  the  flame  alive.  Sometimes  I  fear  it  is  gone 
out — wholly  extinguished  in  my  heart,  so  little  warmth  is  im- 
parted to  religious  duties.  Though  I  sometimes  feel  sad,  and 
perhaps  a  little  discouraged,  when  I  think  how  very,  very  lit- 
tle I  have  done  since  I  came  among  the  heathen,  I  know  and 
am  persuaded  that  my  coming  here  was  of  God.  He  ordered 
and  overruled  most  manifestly  every  thing  in  relation  to  it. 
And  I  do  not,  I  have  not,  I  never  can,  for  an  instant,  regret 
that  I  left  all  dearest  to  my  heart  on  earth.  No  ;  I  only  want 
to  be  more  holy,  that  I  may  be  more  useful.  I  want  to  dis- 
charge my  duty  fully,  faithfully,  to  these  poor,  weak  children 
of  superstition,  and  then  leave  the  event,  whether  or  not  I  am 
permitted  to  see  them  own  Christ,  in  the  hands  of  Him  '  who 
ordereth  all  things  after  the  counsel  of  His  own  will.'  For  this 
object  will  you  not  pray,  often  and  fervently  pray  ?  And  then, 
when  the  duties,  trials,  and  temptations  of  this  probation  are 


MRS    SARAH  DAVIS   COMSTOCK.  [yg 

over,  we  shall  reunite.  Yes,  though  we  meet  no  more  in  the 
flesh,  we  shall,  methinks,  reunite  in  the  better  land,  where  af- 
fection, filial,  parental,  and  Christian,  shall  be  strengthened, 
purified,  perfected,  and  rendered  eternal  as  the  throne  of  God." 

The  unpretending  labors  of  a  female  missionary  are  not  of  a 
nature  to  swell  the  historic  page.  They  embrace  no  length- 
ened detail  of  cause  and  effect.  They  require  no  formal  chap- 
ters to  develop  the  springs  of  human  activity  ;  to  describe  the 
bearing  of  antagonist  influences  one  upon  another ;  to  show 
how  successive  events  depended  on  events  going  before.  There 
is  nothing  in  them  striking  to  the  worldly  man ;  nothing  im- 
pressive to  the  eye  of  sense.  The  evangelical  laborer  toils  on 
from  day  to  day,  and  seems  to  make  no  impression  on  the  dark 
and  corrupting  mass  around.  But  the  eye  that  never  sleeps 
sees  what  is  going  on ;  the  ear  that  is  never  dull  hears  the 
prayer  of  faith.  And  when  crowns  and  thrones  are  distributed 
at  the  last  day,  then  that  unwritten  history  will  be  revealed, 
to  the  delight  and  admiration  of  the  holy  angels,  and  of  all  the 
just  made  perfect. 

The  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Comstock  was  blessed  with  four 
children ;  children — a  source  of  unspeakable  joy,  and  yet  the 
occasion  of  indescribable  sorrow  to  the  heart  of  the  missionary. 
When  they  become  old  enough  to  demand  the  hand  of  culture, 
and  to  receive  the  benefits  of  a  literary  education,  how  shall 
they  be  disposed  of?  Shall  the  missionary  leave  them,  unin- 
structed,  to  grow  up  like  the  heathen  ?  Shall  he  give  them 
the  same,  and  no  higher  advantages  than  the  children  in  the 
missionary  schools  enjoy  ?  Shall  he  abandon  the  work  to  which 
he  is  set  apart,  and  which  calls  for  more  laborers  in  tones  that 
make  the  heart  bleed  and  the  courage  waver,  that  he  may  be- 


■j^iyQ  MRS.  SARAH  DAVIS   COMSTOCK. 

come  a  mere  instructor  of  youth  ?  Love  to  the  cause  of  Christ 
forbids  the  one  ;  parental  affection  forbids  the  other.  Still,  the 
children  of  missionaries  are  as  dear  to  the  hearts  of  their  par- 
ents as  any  child  can  be  to  the  heart  of  any  parent,  perhaps 
more  dear.  They  who  have  gone  to  the  distant  heathen  have 
around  them  fewer  objects  to  be  loved  ;  and  the  love  they  be- 
stow upon  them  is  deeper  and  stronger.  And  if  to  a  parent  in 
a  Christian  land  the  prosperity,  the  usefulness,  and  the  happi- 
ness of  his  child  is  an  object  of  the  deepest  and  tenderest  con- 
cern, to  the  parent  in  a  heathen  land  the  interests  of  his  off- 
spring are  equally  dear.  Missionaries  tell  us  that  their  chil- 
dren can  not  be  brought  up  and  educated  among  the  heathen. 
There  are  none  to  educate  them.  They  themselves  have  not 
time  or  strength  to  be  expended  thus.  The  temptations  are 
too  strong  and  too  degrading  for  children  to  be  subjected  to. 
In  the  forming  and  plastic  period,  when  the  mind  and  charac- 
ter are  molded  for  life  and  shaped  for  immortality,  it  is  unsafe 
to  submit  them  to  the  influences  of  a  Pagan  land.  If  they 
covild  be  educated  to  any  trade  or  profession,  there  is  nothing 
for  them  to  do  among  the  heathen,  no  sphere  for  the  display 
of  talent,  no  room  for  an  unfolding  genius,  no  employment  for 
an  expanding  intellect,  no  materials  for  its  progressive  cultiva- 
tion. Should  they  remain  unregenerate,  it  would  be  unjust  to 
the  children,  in  such  an  age  as  this,  to  force  them  to  compete 
with  half-civilized  men  in  the  handicrafts  of  life.  Should  they 
become  regenerate,  and  their  attention  be  directed  to  the  work 
of  the  ministry  and  of  missions,  nothing  could  compensate  for 
the  want  of  that  discipline  which  is  to  be  obtained  only  in  the 
institutions  of  a  Christian  land. 

The  manner  in  which  this  subject  presented  itself  to  the 


MRS.  SARAH  DAVIS  COMSTOCK.  -tnn 

mind  of  Mrs.  Comstock  is  worthy  of  serious  consideration.     In 
writing  to  a  friend,  she  says  : 

"  You  are  right  in  supposing  that  I  have  many  anxious 
thoughts  about  their  future  lot,  hoiv  many  and  hoiv  anxious 
no  human  being  can  ever  know.  I  am  not  decided  as  to 
whether  it  is  best  to  send  them  from  me,  or,  rather,  from  this 
country.  From  experience  and  observation,  my  own  as  well 
as  that  of  others,  I  am  convinced  that  our  children  can  not  be 
properly  educated  and  fitted  for  the  greatest  usefulness  in  this 
country ;  that  I  shall  wrong  my  children,  seriously  wrong 
them,  by  suffering  them  to  grpw  up,  inhaling,  day  after  day, 
and  year  after  year,  the  fatal  miasma  with  which  the  whole 
moral  atmosphere  of  this  country  is  so  fearfully  impregnated. 
On  this  point  my  judgment  has  long  been  convinced.  Shall 
we,  then,  go  home  with  our  children,  and  see  them  educated 
under  the  genial  influence  of  a  Christian  sky  ?  Or  shall  we 
send  them  away,  and  commit  their  best  interests,  for  time  and 
for  eternity,  to  stranger  hands,  who  do  not,  can  not  feel  a 
mother's  responsibility,  however  much  and  conscientiously 
they  may  strive  to  perform  a  mother's  duties  ?  As  a  general 
rule,  I  believe  a  mother's  duty  to  her  children  is  second  only 
to  her  duty  to  her  Creator.  How  far  missionary  mothers  may 
be  exempt  from  this  rule,  it  is  difficult  to  decide.  A  mother 
who  has  spent  eight,  ten,  or  twelve  of  her  best  years  among 
the  heathen  may  be  expected  to  be  well  acquainted  with  their 
language,  manners,  customs,  and  habits  of  thought  and  feel- 
ing. She  has  proved  herself  their  friend,  and  gained  their  con- 
fidence and  affection.  She  is,  as  it  were,  just  prepared  for  ex- 
tensive usefulness.  At  this  period,  shall  she  go  and  leave  them, 
with  none  to  tell  them  of  Him  who  came  to  ransom  their  souls 

M 


■^<Jg  MRS.  SARAH  DA  VIS   COMSTOCK 

from  sin  and  its  penalty  ?  Or,  if  another  is  raised  up  to  fill 
her  place,  it  must  be  years — years  during  which  many  precious 
immortals  must  go  down  to  a  dark,  a  fearful  eternity,  ere  she 
is  prepared  to  labor  efficiently  among  them.  I  see  no  other 
way  than  for  each  individual  mother  prayerfully  to  consider  the 
subject,  and  let  her  own  conscience  decide  as  to  her  duty.  As 
to  my  own  private  feelings  on  this  subject,  after  long,  serious, 
and  prayerful  consideration,  T  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
it  is  best  to  send  our  eldest  two  to  America  in  the  course  of 
another  year,  should  a  good  opportunity  offer.  This  decision, 
be  assured,  has  not  been  gained  without  many  tearful  confficts 
with  maternal  affection.  You  are  right  when  you  judge  this 
to  be  the  greatest  cross  the  missionary  is  called  to  bear.  When 
we  left  forever  the  land  of  our  birth,  the  home,  sweet  home  of 
our  sunny  childhood,  and  all  those  beloved  friends  and  relatives 
who  were  to  us  dearer  than  life,  many  thought  we  were  mak- 
ing a  great  sacrifice.  So  it  was.  And  deep  and  sincere  seemed 
the  sympathy  that  was  evinced  on  our  account.  Yet  the  pangs 
of  that  separation  are  not  to  be  compared  with  those  which 
must  rend  that  mother's  heart  who  feels  compelled  to  send  from 
her  fond  embrace  those  precious  little  ones  to  whom  she  has 
been  the  means  of  giving  life,  almost  in  the  infancy  of  their 
existence,  too,  with  no  fixed  principles  and  habits,  and  without 
a  hope  of  ever  seeing  them  again  in  time.  This,  surely,  forms 
the  climax  of  a  missionary's  sacrifices.  But  if  God,  the  kind 
author  of  all  our  blessings,  require  even  this,  shall  we  say.  It 
is  too  much  ?  Shall  we  withhold  even  Isaac  ?  No  :  may  we 
rather  strive  to  commit  ourselves  and  our  precious  offspring  in 
faith  to  his  care,  who  has  said,  '  Leave  thy  fatherless  children 
to  me.'     They  are,  in  one  sense,  orphans.     But  if  rendered  so 


MRS.  SARAH  DAVIS   COMSTOCK.  -^rjQ 

by  what  we  feel  to  be  obedience  to  our  heavenly  Father's  will, 
will  He  not  be  to  them  a  father  and  protector  ?  Will  He  not 
more  than  supply  the  place  of  the  most  affectionate  earthly 
parents  ?" 

With  such  feelings  Mrs.  Comstock  came  to  the  sacrifice  of 
her  children.  With  these  impressions  she  laid  them  on  the 
altar  of  missions,  as  a  part  of  the  self-denial  incident  to  her 
calling.  She  knew  not  that  she  should  see  them  again  in  the 
present  world.  She  did  not  see  them  again.  The  parting,  as 
to  this  life,  was  a  final  parting.  Abraham  was  spared  the 
actual  offering  of  Isaac.  But  she  was  not  spared.  The  Lord 
had  a  sacrifice  in  Arracan,  and  it  was  hers  to  be  the  offerer. 
About  this  time,  one  of  the  missionary  brethren  returning  to 
America,  an  opportunity  was  afforded  to  send  the  children 
home  under  the  charge  of  a  careful  protector,  and  it  was  re- 
solved to  embrace  the  opportunity.  The  step  had  been  long 
deliberated  on,  and  was  now  to  be  taken.  This  bitterest  cup 
in  her  pilgrimage  was  now  to  be  drunk.  The  spirit  of  the 
Christian  triumphed  in  the  struggle.  Having  given  the  fare- 
well kiss  to  those  dear  objects  of  her  affection,  and  having 
clasped  them  to  her  bosom  for  the  last  time  in  this  world,  she 
resigned  them  to  her  husband,  who  conducted  them  on  board 
the  ship  that  was  to  take  them  to  America,  saying,  as  she  did 
so,  "0  Jesus,  I  do  this  for  thee."  Noble  woman  I  who  can 
doubt  that  it  was  for  Christ — a  sacrifice  which  he  accepted  ? 
Was  the  spirit  of  Christian  martyrdom  ever  more  affectingly 
illustrated  ?  0  ye,  who  think  the  missionary  work  involves  no 
self-denials,  and  who  speak  lightly  of  the  toils  and  trials  of 
those  who  engage  in  it,  is  such  an  agony  as  this  a  light  thing 
to  be  endured?     It  was  a  memorable  remark  of  Rev.  Mr.  Has- 


180  MRS.  SARAH  DAVIS   COMSTOCK. 

well,  when  he  was  about  to  embark  for  Bnrmah  the  second 
time,  leaving  two  children  behind  him,  that  the  self-denials  of 
Christians  at  home  seemed  to  him  to  be  no  more,  as  compared 
with  the  self-denials  of  missionaries,  than  the  weight  of  his 
little  finger  to  the  mighty  mountains. 

Mrs.  Comstock  did  not  long  survive  this  trial.  God  had 
proved  her  faith,  and  it  was  not  found  wanting.  She  was 
early  ripe,  early  gathered.  By  a  severe  attack  of  dysentery 
she  was  suddenly  prostrated,  and  after  a  short  illness  passed 
to  her  home  on  high.  Little  opportunity  was  allowed  for  those 
expressions  of  affection,  and  of  Christian  confidence  and  tri- 
umph, which  might  otherwise  have  been  expected  from  her 
lips.  She  died  April  28th,  1843,  at  the  age  of  thirty  years, 
seven  months,  and  four  days.  With  her  husband,  who  sur- 
vived her  just  one  year,  and  two  of  her  beloved  children,  who 
sunk  in  less  than  two  months  after  her  demise,  she  now  sleeps 
under  the  sod  of  Arracan.  "  Seed  sown  of  G-od  to  ripen  for 
the  harvest."  About  two  thousand  persons,  men,  women,  and 
children,  crowded  to  her  house,  on  the  day  of  her  death,  to 
pay  their  respects  to  her  loved  remains,  and  to  testify  their 
deep  and  sincere  sorrow. 

The  following  estimate  of  her  character  is  furnished  from  the 
pen  of  her  husband  : 

"The  loss  to  the  mission  by  the  death  of  Mrs.  Comstock  is 
very  great.  She  eminently  possessed  many  very  desirable 
qualifications  for  a  missionary.  Her  kind  spirit  and  affable 
manner  secured  for  her  the  confidence  and  affection  of  all  who 
knew  her.  She  was  endowed,  too,  with  untiring  patience  and 
indomitable  perseverance.  I  have  often  admired  her  patient 
and  persevering  efforts  to  impress  religious  truths  upon  the 


MRS.  SARAH  DAVIS   COMSTOCK.  ]^g]^ 

dark  and  vacant  minds  of  a  company  of  women  from  the  coun- 
try. The  first  remark  from  them  ahiiost  universally  is,  '  I 
don't  understand.'  She  would  then  vary  her  language  or  suh- 
ject,  and  keep  varying  till  they  did  understand,  although  to 
make  them  do  so  often  seemed  to  me  a  hopeless  task.  Her 
patience  and  perseverance,  however,  were  not  manifested  to 
single  companies  alone.  They  were  conspicuous  through  her 
whole  course.  Amid  all  her  sicknesses  and  trials,  which  were 
many  and  great,  she  pursued  the  even  tenor  of  her  way,  nothing 
daunted,  endeavoring,  as  she  had  opportunity,  to  do  good  to  all. 
She  delighted  in  her  work,  and  was  never  happier  than  when 
surrounded  by  women  and  children  to  whom  she  was  telling 
the  story  of  Clu-ist  crucified.  She  often,  also,  was  compelled 
to  engage  in  discussions  with  men,  which  she  managed  with 
great  judgment.  Although  she  was  always  desirous  to  go  out 
with  me  to  the  villages,  the  circumstances  of  our  family  seldom 
permitted  her  to  do  so.  However,  whether  left  alone  at  home 
or  accompanying  me  in  my  tours,  she  always  sought  to 
be  usefully  employed,  and  her  labors  were  abundant.  She 
possessed  a  very  good  knowledge  of  the  language,  and  her 
easy  and  correct  use  of  it  was  often  noticed  by  the  natives 
with  astonishment  and  admiration.  Her  industry  and  faith- 
fulness, her  love  to  souls  and  to  Christ,  her  faith  in  God,  and 
her  mental  and  moral  characteristics  as  a  whole,  admirably 
fitted  her  for  the  station  she  occupied.  Her  health  had  been 
unusually  good  for  a  few  months  before  her  death,  and  her 
prospects  of  laboring  long  and  successfully  in  Arracan  were 
never  fairer.  But  our  thoughts  were  not  Grod's  thoughts.  He 
had  other  designs,  and  called  her  to  engage,  I  doubt  not,  in  a 
higher  sphere  of  employment  and  usefulness.     The  mission 


182 


MRS.  SARAH  DAVIS   COMSTOCK. 


here  is  greatly  weakened.     But  Grod  hath  done  it,  and  all  he 
does  is  right." 

Her  amiable  character,  her  devoted  attachment  to  the  cause 
of  missions,  her  rare  decision,  her  conscientious  regard  to  duty, 
her  ardent  faith,  her  pure  and  enduring  love,  render  her  a 
model  w^orthy  of  admiration  and  imitation.  May  the  Head  of 
the  Church  raise  up  hundreds  to  live  as  she  lived,  to  love  as 
she  loved,  to  trust  as  she  trusted,  to  be  honored  as  she  has 
been  and  will  be  honored,  to  labor  as  she  labored,  to  glorify 
G-od  as  she  glorified  him. 

"  If  life  be  not  in  length  of  days, 
'  In  silvered  locks  and  furrowed  brow, 
But  living  to  the  Savior's  praise, 
How  few  have  lived  so  long  as  thou. 

Though  earth  may  boast  one  gem  the  less. 

May  not  even  heaven  the  richer  be  1 
And  myriads  on  thy  footsteps  press, 

To  share  thy  bless'd  eternity." 


HARRIET  L.  WINSLOW. 


Fac  Simile  from  Letter  to  her  Brother,  dated  Oodooville,  June  25th,  1828. 


MRS.  HARRIET   L.  WINSLOW, 

AMERICAN    BOARD    OF    COMMISSIONERS    FOR    FOREIGN    MISSIONS. 

BY    REV.   WILLIAM    A.    HALLOCK,    D.D., 

New  York. 

Harriet  WADSWORTH  LATHROP,  eldest  daughter 
of  Charles  Lathrop,  Esq.,  and  Joanna  Leffingwell,  was  born  in 
Norwich,  Connecticut,  April  9th,  1796.  Her  paternal  grand- 
mother was  Abigail  Huntington,  her  maternal  grandmother 
Elizabeth  Coit.  She  married  the  Rev.  Miron  "Winslow,  Jan- 
uary 11th,  1819,  and  on  the  8th  of  June  following  sailed  from 
Boston  for  Ceylon,  in  company  with  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Scudder, 
Spaulding,  "Woodward,  and  their  wives,  in  the  brig  Indus,  Cap- 
tain Wills.  Having  labored  thirteen  years  in  Jaffna,  Ceylon, 
she  died  suddenly,  January  14th,  1833,  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
seven.  Her  three  youngest  sisters,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  C.  Hutch- 
ings,  Mrs.  Charlotte  H.  Cherry,  and  Mrs.  Harriet  Joanna  Per- 
ry, followed  her  as  missionaries  to  Ceylon,  where  the  ashes  of 
the  two  last  named  rest  with  hers  in  the  church-yard  at  Oodoo- 
ville.     Her  memoir  has  been  extensively  circulated  in  this 


\QQ  MRS.  HARRIET  L.  WINSLOW 

country  and  in  England,  and  also  in  French,  from  the  press  at 
Toulouse. 


The  missionary  life  of  this  efficient  and  accomplished  woman 
dates  back  to  a  period  of  deepest  interest  in  the  early  history 
of  American  missions.  Only  our  first  five  foreign  missionaries 
— Newell  and  Judson,  who  sailed  from  Salem,  and  Hall,  Nott, 
and  Rice,  who  sailed  from  Philadelphia,  on  the  18th  and  19th 
of  February,  1812 — ^had  left  our  shores,  when,  in  1814,  Harriet 
W.  Lathrop,  imbosomed  in  a  circle  of  refined  and  happy  friends 
dear  to  her  as  life,  not  one  of  whom  was  ready  to  countenance 
such  a  purpose,  and  when  the  total  contributions  of  our  church- 
es to  foreign  missions  for  a  year  were  but  about  $12,000,  had 
in  her  heart  given  herself  to  the  work  of  missions  among  the 
heathen. 

The  review  of  that  period  carries  us  back  a  little  further  to 
that  great  work  of  divine  grace  in  the  churches  which  was  the 
true  origin  of  our  foreign  missions. 

More  remotely,  we  recur  to  the  distinguished  outpouring  of 
the  Spirit  simultaneously  in  our  own  country  and  Great  Brit- 
ain, in  the  days  of  Edwards,  Brainerd,  the  Tennents,  White- 
field,  and  "Wesley,  justly  styled  "  The  Great  Awakening,"  about 
the  year  1740  :  characterized  by  clear  views  of  individual  con- 
version, not  by  birth  or  privileges  within  the  pale  of  the  Church, 
but  by  the  powerful  energies  of  the  Holy  Spirit  working  a  rad- 
ical change  in  the  heart,  that  produce  such  "  fruits  of  the 
Spirit"  as  evinced  to  the  individual  and  those  around  him  that 
he  was,  indeed,  "  new-born,"  and  was  thus  entitled  to  mem- 
bership in  the  Church  on  earth,  as  an  heir  of  eternal  glory. 
This  work  of  God  produced  its  wide  and  permanent  fruits  in 


MRS.  HARRIET  L.  WINSLOW.  ]^g>7 

the  ministry  and  the  churches ;  but  at  the  end  of  half  a  cen- 
tury the  old  leaven  of  lifeless  formality  still  extensively  pre- 
vailed, and  at  length  degenerated,  in  a  large  hody  of  churches 
then  reputed  evangelical,  into  an  open  denial  of  "  the  Lord  that 
bought  us." 

About  the  year  1800,  this  work  of  divine  grace  in  the 
churches  was  gloriously  renewed,  especially  in  the  northwest- 
ern portion  of  Connecticut  and  the  vicinity.  The  ministers  of 
Christ  were  aroused  as  with  one  heart  to  preach  the  great  dis- 
tinguishing truths  of  the  G-ospel ;  exalting  God  on  the  throne, 
abasing  man  in  the  dust ;  preaching  justification  by  faith  alone, 
through  the  merits  of  a  divine  Redeemer,,  and  the  renewing 
and  sanctifying  influence  of  the  Holy  Grhost  working  effectu- 
ally  in  the  heart,  and  creating  the  soul  anew  unto  eternal  life. 
None  were  admitted  to  the  Church  without  giving  evidence  of 
such  a  work  of  grace  on  their  hearts,  and  almost  all  who  were 
admitted  showed  by  their  lives  that  they  were  "new  men  in 
Chi'ist  Jesus."  The  Spirit  descended  in  large  measures  upon 
ministers  and  churches  in  every  direction.  The  Connecticut 
Evangelical  Magazine,  established  at  Hartford  in  1800,  herald- 
ed the  work  of  God  ;  and  its  triumphs  extended  from  year  to 
year,  till  the  idea  of  salvation  by  being  born  in  the  Church,  or 
negligently  sometimes  partaking  her  ordinances,  or  merely  re- 
fraining from  gross  immoralities,  was  exploded,  in  theory  at 
least,  from  all  churches  claiming  to  be  evangelical,  we  trust 
never  again  to  be  revived. 

Among  the  actors  in  these  scenes  were  the  Rev.  Dr.  Griffin, 
and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Ebenezer  Porter,  of  Andover,  who  to  the  close 
of  life,  with  trumpet  tongue,  vindicated  the  grace  of  God  in 
those  outpourings  of  the  Spirit,  and  plead  the  cause  of  genuine 


288  MRS.  HARRIET   L    WJNSLOW 

revivals,  and  of  missions  as  one  of  their  legitimate  fruits.  "It 
was  my  happiness,"  says  Dr.  Grriffin,  "to  be  early  carried  to 
Litchfield  county,  and  to  be  fixed  in  that  scene  where  the  heav- 
enly influence  was  to  send  out  its  stronger  radiations  to  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  country ;  where  thrice  twenty  congregations, 
in  contiguous  counties,  were  laid  down  in  one  field  of  divine 
wonders.  There  it  was  my  privilege  to  be  most  intimately  as- 
sociated with  such  men  as  Mills,  and  G-illet,  and  Hallock, 
names  which  will  be  ever  dear  to  the  Church  on  earth,  and 
some  of  which  are  now  familiar  in  heaven.  Their  voice,  which 
I  often  heard  in  the  silent  groves,  and  in  the  sacred  assemblies 
which  followed,  and  in  the  many,  many  meetings  from  town 
to  town,  have  identified  them  in  my  mind  with  all  those  pre- 
cious revivals  which  opened  the  dawn  of  a  new  day  upon  our 
country" — "  when  that  moral  change  began  which  has  swept 
from  so  large  a  part  of  New  England  its  looseness  of  doctrine 
and  laxity  of  discipline,  and  awakened  an  evangelical  pulse  in 
every  vein  of  the  American  Church." 

This  work  of  divine  grace  brought  distinctly  before  the  peo- 
ple of  God  the  value  of  the  soul,  and  its  rescue  from  death 
eternal  as  affected  by  the  glorious  truths  of  the  G-ospel  applied 
by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  individual  men  ;  and  the  in- 
ference was  too  clear  not  to  be  discerned,  that  every  man  must 
seek  his  fellow-man's  salvation,  whether  nearer  or  farther  off 
Pastors  vmited  to  penetrate  every  dark  corner  of  their  respect- 
ive congregations  ;  the  work  was  soon  extended  to  the  destitute 
in  our  own  new  settlements,  and  then  to  the  heathen. 

"We  love  thus  to  trace  the  origin  of  our  foreign  missions  to 
the  throne  of  God  and  the  powerful  working  of  his  Spirit,  mag- 
nifying the  riches  of  his  grace  to  the  perishing  for  whom  the 


MRS.  HARRIET  L.  WINSLOW.  J^gg 

Redeemer  died.  The  working  of  the  same  Spirit  in  the  heart 
of  a  young  lady  in  Eastern  Connecticut  we  are  now  more  dis- 
tinctly to  observe. 

We  first  notice  her  early  conversion,  though  in  a  congrega- 
tion which  the  revivals  of  1800  had  not  distinctly  reached,  and 
where  such  an  event  as  that  an  amiable  youth  of  thirteen 
should  profess  conversion  by  the  renewing  of  the  Spirit,  and 
publicly  unite  herself  to  the  people  of  God  on  profession  of  her 
faith,  was  scarcely  known.  After  some  months  of  unusual 
seriousness,  when  "  a  new  thing,"  evening  meetings  held  at  the 
houses  of  the  parishioners,  had  been  commenced  by  the  pas- 
tor ;  after  reading  Doddridge,  and  attempting  to  dedicate  her- 
self to  G-od  in  a  written  form — the  renewal  of  which  was  also 
almost  the  last  act  of  her  life — she  says,  in  January,  1809, 
"  One  Sabbath  noon  I  was  engaged  in  prayer  as  usual,  when 
suddenly  I  nearly  lost  all  my  encouragement,  and,  I  believe, 
ceased  speaking ;  but  soon  recommenced,  feeling  that  I  could 
do  nothing  else.  I  seemed  then  to  have  new  confidence  in 
God.  A  sweet  peace  was  shed  abroad  in  my  soul.  I  felt  as- 
sured that  the  Lord  had  heard  my  cry,  and  had  not  despised 
my  prayer.  Never  can  I  forget  the  feelings  with  which  I  aft- 
erward joined  the  family  circle,  the  happiest  of  the  happy.  I 
longed  to  open  my  mouth  to  declare  what  the  Lord  had  done 
for  me  ;  but  I  could  only  gaze  on  my  parents,  brothers,  and 
sister,  with  new  affection,  and  retire  to  weep  by  myself  and 
pray.  I  went  in  the  afternoon  to  the  house  of  God,  where 
every  thing  was  new,  every  thing  seemed  to  bid  me  welcome, 
and  to  say,  '  The  Lord  of  Hosts  is  in  the  midst  of  us.'  For  a 
number  of  weeks  I  enjoyed  in  silence  this  new  world  into  which 


X90  ^'^'^    HARRIET  L.  WIN  SLOW. 

1  seemed  introduced,  though  my  solicitude  for  my  friends  was 
very  great. 

"  My  beloved  parents  now  examined  anew  their  hope,  and 
became  convinced  of  their  duty  to  profess  their  faith  in  Christ. 
Accordingly,  on  the  9th  of  April,  1809  [the  day  on  which  she 
was  thirteen  years  of  age],  they,  together  with  myself  and  a 
female  domestic,  were  propounded  for  admission  to  the  Church, 
and  the  third  Sabbath  following  we  sat  down  at  the  table  of 
the  Lord.  It  was  a  season  never  to  be  forgotten.  I  had  taken 
a  new  stand,  and  the  eyes  of  all  were  upon  me.  A  child  of 
my  age  never  before  was  known,  in  that  place,  to  come  out 
from  the  world  by  a  public  profession  of  Christ !" 

The  fruits  of  this  decided  consecration  of  herself  to  God 
appeared  in  her  prayerfulness,  her  study  of  the  Bible,  her  rigid 
self-scrutiny,  her  humble  reliance  on  Grod  in  trials,  and  her 
seeking,  by  all  practicable  methods,  to  serve  him.  She  is  in- 
strumental in  forming  a  Society  for  the  Relief  of  Poor  Women 
and  Children  ;  she  engages  in  the  voluntary  instruction  of  a 
school  for  the  education  of  poor  children  ;  she  visits  the  sick 
and  suffering ;  she  labors  to  win  her  beloved  female  associates 
to  Christ,  and  widely  diffuses  her  spirit  in  an  attractive  cor- 
respondence ;  she  sets  apart  every  Saturday  evening  to  pray 
for  a  revival  of  religion  in  her  native  town ;  she  succeeds  in 
forming  a  female  praying  circle  ;  and,  amid  obstacles  and  prej- 
udices which  can  now  be  scarcely  understood,  she  engages 
in  organizing  the  first  Sabbath  school  in  Norwich.  As  early 
as  1814,  she  also  records  :  "  When  I  reflect  on  the  multitudes  of 
my  fellow-creatures  who  are  perishing  for  lack  of  vision,  and 
that  I  am  living  at  ease,  without  aiding  in  the  promulgation 
of  the  Grospel,  I  am  almost  ready  to  wish  myself  a  man,  that  I 


MRS.  HARRIET   L.  WINSLOW.  j^Ml 

might  spend  my  life  with  tlie  poor  heathen.  But  I  check  the 
thought,  and  would  not  alter  one  plan  of  Infinite  Wisdom.  I 
could,  however,  cheerfully  endure  pain  and  hardship  for  them 
and  for  my  dear  Redeemer.  Has  he  not  given  his  life  for  mul- 
titudes now  perishing  as  well  as  for  my  soul  ?  And  oh,  how 
basely  ungrateful  and  selfish  in  me,  to  sit  down  quietly  in  the 
care  of  self,  without  making  any  exertion  for  their  salvation. 
But  what  can  I  do — a  weak,  ignorant  female  ?  One  thing 
only  do  I  see.  My  prayers  may  he  accepted.  Yes,  I  will  plead 
with  my  heavenly  Father,  that  he  may  be  a  Father  to  the  poor 
benighted  heathen."      ^ 

While  pursuing  these  various  means  of  usefulness,  and  con- 
stantly widening  her  sphere  of  influence,  the  proposition,  in  the 
providence  of  God,  is  seriously  laid  before  her  to  devote  the 
remainder  of  her  life  to  personal  labors  among'  the  heathen. 
Familiar  as  the  subject  was  to  her  thoughts,  stirring  the  very 
depths  of  her  spirit,  she  will  not  decide  it  till  she  has  employed 
every  means  to  learn  the  will  of  G-od,  and  assure  herself  that 
she  should  not  go  uncalled.  She  devoted  months  to  the  seri- 
ous examination  of  the  subject,  and  records  the  grounds  of  her 
unalterable  decision  in  an  admirable  document,  dated  and  sol- 
emnly subscribed,  "Norwich,  November  10th,  1816,  Sabbath 
evening." 

In  this  document  she  states  that  "  for  four  and  a  half  years" 
her  prevailing  desire  had  been  to  spend  her  life  in  the  service 
of  Christ,  and  that  her  plans  for  future  enjoyment  centered 
in  spending  her  days  in  a  Pagan  land ;  that  Buchanan's  Re- 
searches first  awakened  her  interest  for  the  salvation  of  the 
heathen,  and  the  sufferings  detailed  in  the  Memoir  of  Mrs. 
Newell  but  rendered  the  work  more  alluring;  that  she  could 


J^92  MRS.  HARRIET  L.  WINSLOW 

"  imagine  no  situation  in  her  native  land  as  affording  so  sub- 
stantial happiness  ;"  yet  she  saw  no  indication  that  she  was 
called  to  go,  and  felt  that  she  must  think  only  of  duties  in  her 
own  country.  When,  at  length,  it  did  seem  possible  that  she 
should  be  called  to  forsake  friends  and  native  land,  her  great 
object  was  to  observe  "the  leadings  of  Providence,"  that  she 
might  not  rush  uncalled  into  so  glorious  a  work.  At  times,  the 
magnitude  of  the  work,  her  insufficiency,  and  the  trials  attend- 
ing such  a  sacrifice  of  temporal  comfort,  caused  her  to  shrink 
from  what  appeared  too  much  for  feeble  nature  to  bear ;  but, 
•  in  the  main,  she  desired  to  be  grateful  for  being  counted  wor- 
thy to  suffer  for  Christ.  The  subject  of  "  qualifications"  caused 
almost  her  only  doubt,  especially  that  her  love  to  immortal 
souls  was  so  unlike  that  of  her  Redeemer ;  but  she  trusted  in 
the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  give  her  needed  grace. 

Her  final  resort,  in  reaching  her  decision,  was  to  "  the  teach- 
ings of  the  Holy  Spirit.  By  these,"  she  says,  "  I  mean  the 
impressions  on  my  mind  which  accompanied  the  examination 
of  duty  from  time  to  time  ;  and  these  were  manifestly  toward 
this  object :  when,  in  reading  the  sacred  oracles,  my  heart  was 
particularly  warmed  by  contemplating  the  wide  field  of  mis- 
sionary labor,  and  the  examples  of  holy  men  of  old,  who  will- 
ingly suffered  any  privations  and  hardships  for  the  sake  of  be- 
ing embassadors  of  the  Lord  Jesus — when,  in  examining  ob- 
jections, they  always  dwindled  to  a  point,  if  considered  with 
the  command  of  Christ,  '  Gro  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach 
the  Grospel  to  every  creature' — when  the  trials  of  this  life  served 
to  excite  a  more  ardent  desire  to  be  '  counted  worthy  to  suffer 
for  Christ,'  rather  than  to  have  any  effect  to  intimidate  me — 
and  when,  in  pouring  out  my  soul  on  this  subject  to  the  Father 


MRS.  HARRIET  L.   WINSLOW.  jgg 

of  light,  I  realized  more  of  that  sweet  peace  in  which  '  my  will- 
ing soul  would  stay  ;'  and,  finally,  in  his  so  drawing  me  to  the 
throne  of  mercy,  that  I  could  not  leave  without  a  blessing ;  and 
at  length  dissipating  every  doubt,  and  enabling  me,  by  the  eye 
of  faith,  to  discover  the  finger  of  God  pointing  to  the  East,  and 
with  the  affection  of  a  Father,  and  the  authority  of  a  Sovereign, 
saying,  '  Come,  follow  me' — '  this  is  the  way,  walk  ye  in  it ;' 
and  adding,  for  my  encouragement,  '  I  will  never  leave  thee 
nor  forsake  thee  :'  in  view  of  all  these  considerations,  and 
many  more,  I  do  believe  that  God  calls  me  to  become  a  mis- 
sionary ;  and  do,  with  this  belief,  resolve  to  consider  myself  as 
devoted  to  that  service,  and,  as  much  as  possible,  to  make  all 
my  exertions  have  an  ultimate  reference  to  it,  hoping  that  God 
will  qualify  me,  and  make  me  a  faithful  servant  for  Christ's 
sake.     A7nen  and  amen.''^ 

Again  we  notice  the  influence  of  her  consecration  to  mis- 
sions upon  her  family  and  friends.  What  may  not  the  charms 
of  female  delicacy  and  refinement  accomplish,  when  the  heart 
is  fixed  on  a  great  and  noble  object,  and  constantly  lifted  in 
prayer  for  Divine  direction  ?  Friends  in  nameless  ways  may 
discountenance  her  plans  ;  all  the  delights  of  home  may  be 
presented  in  their  brightest  aspects ;  one  beloved  associate 
may  coolly  return  an  Appeal  in  behalf  of  Missions  unread ;  a 
venerated  relative  may  say,  "Harriet,  you  will  never  have  my 
approbation,  never,  never,  never,"  and  ask  if  the  judgment  of 
three  fourths  of  all  her  friends  should  have  no  weight  with 
her  ;  and  tender  parents  may  withhold  every  expression  of 
approval ;  but  mildness  and  love,  the  interchange  of  thought 
and  feeling,  the  diff'usion  of  light,  an  inflexible  purpose  to  do 
what  duty  requires,  and  prayer  to  God, that  brings  down  the 
influences  of  his  Spirit,  will  subdue  all  obstacles. 

N 


194  MRS.  HARRIET  L.  WIN  SLOW. 

To  her  mother  she  writes,  "  I  must  trust  solely  to  Him  who 
has  promised  grace  and  strength.  When  I  ask  myself  if  I  can 
endure  a  separation  from  such  friends  as  mine,  my  answer  is 
uniformly,  '  We  must  be  separated  in  a  few  days,  and  can  I  re- 
fuse to  suffer  a  little  for  Him  ivho  has  redeemed  my  soul  by 
the  sacrifice  of  Himself?''''^  This  plea  prevailed  with  friends 
and  before  the  throne  of  G-od.  Her  grateful  offering  of  herself 
to  Him  was  graciously  accepted;  and  "when  a  man's  ways 
please  the  Lord,  he  maketh  even  his  enemies  to  be  at  peace 
with  him."  The  missionary  spirit  began  to  burn  in  the  hearts 
of  those  around  her.  Opposition  to  a  great  extent  ceased,  and 
she  brought  her  friends  with  her  in  a  firm  devotion  to  the  mis- 
sionary work.  A  fire  was  kindled  in  Norwich  which  still  burns 
brightly,  and  has  produced  rich  results  to  the  praise  of  Divine 
grace.  Many  have  given  themselves  to  missions.  Others  have 
been  firm  counselors  and  supporters  of  the  missionary  work. 
Among  those  friends  were  two  who,  after  her  decease,  were  to 
adopt  two  of  her  own  children,  and  train  one  of  them  for  mis- 
sions, and  both  for  the  service  of  Christ. 

Her  father  and  mother  had  first  joined  her  in  publicly  pro- 
fessing their  faith  in  Christ :  her  three  youngest  sisters  imbibed 
her  spirit,  and  followed  her  to  India  ;  all  her  father's  family  be- 
came pious,  and  the  devoted  friends  of  missions  ;  her  father's 
house  became  the  missionaries'  home  ;  Dr.  Griffin,  Dr.  Worces- 
ter, Dr.  Cornelius,  Pliny  Fisk,  and  a  multitude  of  kindred  spir- 
its, were  cherished  inmates  of  that  circle  ;  and  those  who  could 
best  trace  the  source  of  all  this  hallowed  influence,  have  ever 
connected  it  with  the  early  consecration  of  this  delicate  young 
lady,  in  her  secret  retirement,  to  Grod  and  to  missions. 

Her  journal  of  the  sea  voyage,  written  for  her  friends  at 


MRS.  HARRIET  L.  WI.XSLOW.  -tq^ 

home,  displays  a  scene  of  wonders.  The  mission  company- 
were  united  in  bonds  which  eternity  will  not  sever,  not  only  for 
their  own  growth  in  grace  and  preparation  for  their  work 
among  the  heathen,  but  for  the  eternal  welfare  of  those  with 
whom  they  sailed.  After  about  three  months,  one  soul  was 
given  to  them,  and  then  another  and  another,  and  a  calm  and 
heavenly  influence  seemed  to  rest  and  abide  on  the  whole 
ship's  company. 

''  I  have  felt  to-day,"  she  writes,  October  1st,  1819,  "  as 
though  I  dare  scarcely  think  or  act.  I  would  like  to  hide  my- 
self where  I  could  see  what  God  is  doing,  and  yet  be  in  no 
danger  of  hindering  the  work.  We  had  a  prayer-meeting  be- 
fore breakfast,  and  our  missionary  meeting  this  afternoon. 
They  were  precious.  It  seems  as  though  every  word  spoken 
through  the  day  was  accompanied  by  the  Spirit  of  Grod.  The 
sea  has  been  calm  since  the  Sabbath,  the  sun  has  remained 
bright,  and  never,  I  believe,  did  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  so 
cast  his  beams  into  a  little  world  on  the  waste  of  waters.  I 
would  describe  the  scene  presented  this  evening,  but  you  can 
never  form  an  idea  of  it.  We  all  went  '  forward.'  Every  sea- 
man, and  the  whole  ship's  company,  save  one  man  at  the  helm, 
were  present.  The  subject  of  remark  was,  '  Now  is  the  ac- 
cepted time.'  There  seemed  a  general  feeling  that  the  Lord 
was  passing  by,  and  whoever  would  might  obtain  forgiveness. 
The  first  and  second  mate,  and  clerk,  were  appealed  to  for  their 
testimony  that  '  now  is  the  accepted,'  the  best '  time,'  and  with 
melting  hearts  and  eyes  each  said,  '  I  feel  it.'  Captain  Wills 
prayed,  and  addressed  the  meeting  with  a  solemnity  and  feel- 
inor  which  melted  us  all.  I  never  felt  so  much  as  though  God 
was  indeed  present,  as  though  angels  were  hovering  over  us  to 


HJQ  MRS.  HARRIET  L.  WIN  SLOW. 

carry  intelligence  to  the  courts  of  heaven  of  '  prodigals  re- 
turned,' and  '  heirs  of  glory  born.'  On  retiring,  we  stopped 
'  midships'  to  sing  a  hymn  of  thanksgiving.  The  clerk  came 
up  and  joined  in  it.  To  onr  surprise,  we  found  him  indulging 
a  hope  in  Christ.  After  half  an  hour's  conversation,  we  united 
in  prayer  that  God  would  not  suffer  him  to  rest  on  any  false 
foundation.  The  second  mate  then  came  up  to  be  welcomed 
as  a  brother  in  Christ.  His  distress  had  been  greater  than  that 
of  any  of  the  others.  While  we  were  conversing  with  him,  the 
cabin-boy  came  from  below.  He  could  not  sleep,  but  wanted 
to  go  to  G-od.  Another  prayer,  with  singing,  closed  our  inter- 
view. While  we  were  there.  Brown  had  been  praying  with 
the  men  '  forward.'  Mr.  Winslow  and  I  remained  a  while  on 
deck.  Never  did  the  moon  shine  more  pleasantly.  We  thought 
we  should  like  to  write  on  it,  '■A  Revival  at  Sea,^  that  you 
might  participate  our  joy.  Never  was  a  ship's  deck  a  more 
solemn  and  awful  place.  *  One  day  like  this  is  indeed  worth  a 
hundred  lives  of  '  pleasurable  sin.'  " 

The  spirit  of  this  '■'■Revival  at  iSea,"  and  of  the  great  re- 
vivals of  1800,  characterized  the  mission  till  her  death. 
Never  were  a  band  of  laborers  united  in  more  endearing  bonds. 
With  one  heart  they  sought  their  own  mutual  growth  in  gi'ace, 
the  Divine  guidance,  and  the  descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the 
conversion  of  the  heathen  to  Christ ;  and  rarely  has  the  bless- 
ing more  richly  descended.  Beginning  missionary  life  with  an 
arduous  but  utterly  essential  work,  the  acquisition  of  the  lan- 
guage^ and  devoting  themselves  to  preaching,  to  care  for  the 
young  in  boarding  and  other  schools,  to  personal  religious  con- 
versation, to  meetings  for  prayer,  Bible-class  and  other  relig- 
ious instruction,  the  circulation  of  the  Scriptures,  tracts,  and 


MRS.  HARRIET  L.  WiySLOW.  jg-r 

books,  and,  by  the  grace  of  God,  keeping  the  flame  of  piety 
burning  in  their  own  hearts,  by  private  and  united  self-exami- 
nation, searching  the  Scriptures,  and  prayer,  so  that  then*  re- 
ligious character  and  influence  were  felt  by  all  with  whom 
they  came  into  contact,  a  deep  and  abiding  impression  was 
made  on  the  heathen,  and  many  gave  evidence  of  true  con- 
version. 

Four  and  a  half  years  after  her  arrival  in  Ceylon,  she  says, 
August  17th,  1823,  "  My  mind  was  turned  from  myself  to  the 
heathen,  and  during  prayer  I  seemed  to  feel  a  new  desire,  or, 
rather,  to  ask  with  new  earnestness  for  the  abundant  outpour- 
ing- of  the  Spirit  at  this  station,  so  that  every  heart  should 
feel,  and  every  one  coming  to  the  house  should  say,  '  How  aw- 
ful is  this  place  !'  The  more  I  thought  of  it  and  prayed  for  it, 
the  more  hopeful  it  appeared.  I  could  see  no  reason  why  it 
should  not  be  so,  and  every  reason  why  it  should. 

"  I  have  to-day  been  with  Jesus  in  his  last  interviews  with 
his  disciples,  his  agony  in  the  garden  and  on  the  cross,  and  his 
appearance  again  after  his  resurrection — scenes  which  never 
before  seemed  so  full  of  every  thing  encouraging,  strengthen- 
ing, and  comforting.  Oh,  what  displays  of  love,  of  tenderness, 
of  glorious  majesty  !  In  view  of  all  this,  I  feel  that,  even  for 
me,  there  is  a  way  of  access  to  God  in  behalf  of  this  poor  peo- 
ple. If  my  prayers  are  heard  for  myself  and  my  husband, 
surely  I  may  have  hope  of  their  being  heard  for  others.  I  hes- 
itate to  say  there  is  a  connection  between  my  prayers  and  the 
blessings  we  receive  ;  but  of  this  I  am  sure,  that  what  I  desire 
and  ask  is  given  in  very  many  instances.  "Would  that  I  had  a 
heart  to  continue  instant  in  prayer  I  Lord,  take  away  my  sloth, 
my  unbelief,  my  hardness  of  heart,  my  distrust  of  thee  ;  and 


jgg  MRS.  HARRIET  L.  WINS  LOW. 

grant  me  humility,  activity,  tenderness  of  heart,  and  strong 
faith.  Can  I  not  say.  Lord,  thou  knowest  that  I  desire  above 
every  thing  to  be  like  my  Redeemer  ;  to  have  his  Spirit,  to  be 
filled  with  his  fullness,  that  I  may  glorify  thee  among  this 
people." 

On  the  28th  of  January,  1824,  she  writes,  "  I  can  not  de- 
lay telling  you  what  the  Lord  is  doing  among  us.  Last  Mon- 
day, a  messenger  came  from  Tillipally,  saying  that  a  number 
of  the  boys  were  under  serious  impressions,  and  that  Mr.  Wood- 
ward needed  some  assistance.  Mr.  Winslow  immediately  went 
there,  and  I  accompanied  him.  We  found  the  boys  in  meet- 
ing, and  from  their  appearance,  and  that  of  others  around,  were 
at  once  impressed  with  the  conviction  that  the  Holy  Spirit  was 
indeed  present.  We  remained  till  Wednesday  evening,  and 
saw  much  to  encourage  the  hope  that  a  work  of  grace  was 
commenced  in  a  number  of  hearts.  There  were  frequent  meet- 
ings, and  solemnity  reigned  around.  Yesterday,  at  this  sta- 
tion, Mr.  Winslow  had  scarcely  begun  his  sermon,  when  it  was 
evident  that  the  Holy  Spirit  was  near.  He  had  some  over- 
whelming views,  which  for  a  time  rendered  him  unable  to 
speak.  Many  of  the  congregation  were  affected.  It  was  a 
solemn  place.  All  the  exercises  were  impressive  beyond  any 
thing  I  have  seen  here." 

Soon  after,  she  says,  "  At  Batticotta,  in  the  afternoon,  the 
Holy  Spirit  came  down  with  power,  such  as  probably  none  of 
us  ever  felt  or  witnessed  before,  and  filled  all  the  house  where 
we  were  sitting.  The  brother  who  first  led  in  prayer  was  so 
much  overcome  as  to  be  unable  to  proceed.  For  some  time  he 
had  scarcely  strength  to  rise  from  his  knees.  The  afternoon 
was  spent  in  prayer,  interrupted  only  by  singing,  and  occasion- 


MRS.  HARRIET  L.  WIJVSLOW.  -j^gg 

ally  reading  or  repeating  a  verse  from  the  Bible.  It  was  not 
common  prayer,  but  wrestling  with  the  Angel  of  the  covenant, 
with  strong  crying  and  tears.  Every  thing  was  awfully  sol- 
emn, such  as  language  can  not  describe.  The  worth  of  souls 
and  the  love  of  Clu-ist  pressed  upon  the  conscience  and  the 
heart  almost  too  strongly  to  be  endured.  We  came  home  ex- 
ceedingly exhausted.  To-day  the  girls  are  more  serious,  and 
every  thing  around  seems  to  say  that  God  is  here.  Oh  that 
we  may  stand  aside  while  the  Lord  passes  by,  as  Elijah  did, 
when  he  wrapped  his  face  in  his  mantle  and  stood  in  the  en- 
trance of  the  cave.  I  feel  afraid  to  do  or  say  any  thing,  lest  I 
should  in  some  way  hinder  the  work. 

^^  March  20.  Last  Sabbath,  I  had  unusual  nearness  to  G-od, 
and  a  feeling  that  I  could  ask  any  thing  I  would,  without  fear 
of  a  denial.  He  appeared  my  friend,  to  whom  I  could  come 
very  near,  so  as  to  talk  face  to  face,  and  order  my  cause  before 
him.  This  feeling  continues,  and  I  would  say,  with  deep  hu- 
mility, that  I  never  felt  so  much  that  it  is  a  time  to  call  upon 
Grod,  to  get  near  and  to  wait  before  him,  and  plead  with  him, 
as  during  the  last  week.  It  has  been  an  unusual  week ;  I 
have  had  some  seasons  which  can  not  be  forgotten.  I  enjoy 
our  social  meetings  very  much,  but  they  are  not  to  be  compared 
with  coming  near  to  Grod  in  secret.  To-day  I  have  wrestled 
principally  for  the  children  here ;  have  felt  as  I  never  did  pre- 
viously for  them ;  have  wondered  that  I  have  before  felt  so  lit- 
tle. Perhaps  G-od  will  now  permit  me  to  call,  and  not  hear. 
It  would  be  right,  but  still  it  is  my  privilege  to  pray." 

On  the  3d  of  January  of  the  next  year,  1825,  from  twelve  to 
fifteen  hundred  of  the  people  assembled  in  a  temporary  build- 
ing prepared  for  the  purpose ;  forty-one  native  converts  were 


200  SIRS.  HARRIET  L.  WINSLOW. 

admitted  to  the  Church,  and  the  ordinance  of  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per was  administered  to  seventy  native  members  and  sixteen 
of  the  members  of  the  mission. 

About  five  years  later,  these  scenes  were  gloriously  renewed, 
and  sixty-one  native  converts,  embracing  a  greater  proportion 
of  adults,  were  admitted  to  the  churches  at  Oodooville  and  Bat- 
ticotta. 

On  Mrs.  Winslow  devolved  the  care  of  the  Female  Central 
School  at  Oodooville.  Her  attention  was  early  turned  to  res- 
cuing females  from  their  degradation,  and  giving  them  the  ad- 
vantages of  education,  to  which  the  whole  heathen  community 
were  vigorously  and  perseveringly  opposed.  She  began  with 
two  little  girls,  whom,  after  patient  effort,  she  succeeded  in  in- 
ducing to  come  to  her  daily  to  learn  to  sew,  and  at  length  to 
receive  instruction.  Her  successful  labors  increased  in  this  di- 
rection till  1823,  when  a  mission  seminary,  having  the  special 
object  to  train  up  native  preachers,  was  established  at  Batti- 
cotta,  and  soon  after  a  Central  Boarding-school  for  Girls  was 
established  and  placed  under  her  care  at  Oodooville,  which  soon 
embraced  twenty-nine  girls,  generally  children  of  good  prom- 
ise. 

In  1832,  a  short  time  before  her  death,  when  the  native  free- 
schools  contained  from  three  to  four  thousand  children,  and  the 
mission  seminary  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  lads,  she  wrote, 
"My  school  has  nov^  fifty -three  girls;  so  that  my  hands  are 
full.  We  are  greatly  favored  in  being  permitted  to  regard  all 
the  older  ones  as  Christians,  and  to  see  those  who  have  mar- 
ried adorn  their  profession,  though  living  among  the  heathen." 
About  this  time,  "  when  it  was  proposed  to  receive  into  the 
school  about  twenty  girls,  more  than  seventy  were  brought  by 


MRS.  HARRIET  L.  WINSLOW.  QQI 

mothers  and  other  female  friends,  all  saying,  you  must  receive 
our  children ;  we  can  not  take  them  home  again,"  She  had 
also  a  Sunday-school  of  about  one  hundred  girls,  taught  chiefly 
by  the  more  advanced  girls  of  her  central  boarding-school. 

To  this  boarding-school  for  girls  she  devoted  much  of  the 
closing  ten  years  of  her  life  ;  and  the  blessing  which,  at  its  be- 
ginning, she  so  earnestly  sought,  was  not  denied  to  her  faithful 
exertions  and  prayers.  All  the  girls  who  had  passed  through  a 
regular  course  in  the  school,  or  were  far  advanced  in  it  previous 
to  her  death,  had  then  become  hopefully  pious,  and  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Church  ;  and  no  one  of  them,  twenty-four  in  num- 
ber, had  dishonored  her  profession. 

With  all  her  responsibilities,  she  was  the  faithful  wife  and 
mother.  Her  heart  was  with  her  husband's  in  every  sorrow 
and  in  every  joy.  Her  prayers  and  sympathies  sustained  him 
in  his  public  labors  ;  and,  having  the  pen  of  "  a  ready  writer," 
in  which  her  hand  was  early  disciplined  in  transcribing  for  her 
father  the  records  of  the  courts,  she  performed  on  a  liberal  scale 
a  similar  service  for  Mr,  Winslow  and  the  mission,  her  fair  chi- 
rography  being  scarcely  distinguishable  from  his.  In  her  rec- 
ord of  one  of  the  great  revivals,  she  incidentally  drops  the 
remark,  "Here  I  can  not  help  saying,  what  appears  to  me  a 
just  tribute  of  gratitude  to  God,  that  in  nothing  of  late  have  I 
thought  my  prayers  were  heard  so  evidently  as  when  I  pray 
perse veringly  for  my  husband," 

All  her  fidelity  as  a  mother  eternity  only  will  reveal.  She 
not  only  bore  her  children  on  her  inmost  heart  to  God,  but  she 
enlisted  the  prayers  of  the  mothers  with  whom  she  was  asso- 
ciated to  "  agree"  in  seeking  one  thing  from  God,  the  early 
conversion  and  final  salvation  of  their  children ;  and  she  wrote 


202  MRS.  HARRIET  L.  WINSLOW. 

to  mothers  at  home,  and  continued  her  correspondence  with 
them,  that  their  prayers  might  be  united  with  those  of  moth- 
ers in  the  mission,  and,  together,  ascend  to  Grod  for  a  blessing 
both  here  and  there. 

She  says,  August  14th,  1821,  "  To-day  all  the  sisters  met 
at  Batticotta.  We  resolved  to  hold  a  quarterly  meeting  for  our 
own  benefit  and  that  of  our  children.  I  have  not  promised 
myself  so  much  from  any  thing  of  the  kind  since  I  came  to 
India.  It  has  been  a  day  long  to  be  remembered.  I  trust  it 
will  be  remembered,  even  in  eternity,  with  thanksgiving." 

Speaking  of  her  little  son,  when  she  thought  he  had  told  her 
a  lie,  she  says,  "  From  that  time  I  regarded  him  in  a  new  light. 
I  before  knew  that  he  was  a  sinner,  but  now  it  was  a  reality, 
and  the  thought  took  complete  possession  of  my  soul.  That  I 
had  borne  a  child  who  was  an  enemy  to  God,  a  rebel,  an  heir 
of  hell,  was  humbling,  overwhelming.  I  could  not  endure  the 
reflection.  Immediately  I  resolved  to  give  the  Lord  no  rest,  if 
he  would  permit  me  to  plead  with  him,  until  this  brand  should 
be  plucked  from  the  burning.  He  became  then  my  burden, 
almost  to  the  exclusion  of  every  thing." 

Four  of  her  beloved  children,  in  their  tender  days,  one  by 
the  scourge  of  cholera,  she  yielded  up  to  Grod ;  her  first-born 
son,  Charles,  whose  pleasant  memoir  has  been  widely  circu- 
lated, died  just  after  his  arrival  in  the  United  States,  at  the 
age  of  eleven  ;  and  three  daughters,  who  survived  her,  and  were 
adopted  into  Christian  families  in  this  country  (the  most  desir- 
able relation,  we  believe,  generally,  that  a  returned  missionary 
child  can  sustain),  are  members  of  the  Church,  and  one  of 
them,  Mrs.  Harriet  W.  Dulles,  has  returned,  a  devoted  and  ac- 
complished missionary,  to  India.     Thus  it  may  be  hoped  that, 


MRS.  HARRIET  L.  WINS  LOW.  203 

through  the  mercy  of  a  prayer-hearing  Grod,  all  her  children 
will  be  gathered  with  her  around  his  throne  in  heaven. 

She  bared  her  heart  to  the  trial  and  embarrassments  of  the 
question  of  missionaries^  sending"  their  children  home  "  to  en- 
joy their  birth-right  as  Americans,  of  which  the  voluntary  ex- 
ile of  their  parents  ought  not  to  deprive  them,  and  to  remain  in 
this  happy  land,  unless,  by  the  grace  of  God,  they  shall  be  pre- 
pared willingly  and  joyfully  to  leave  it  for  the  service  of  their 
Savior  in  other  climes."  Her  only  surviving  son  had  reached 
the  age  of  nearly  eleven.  The  question  of  his  return  pressed 
upon  the  hearts  of  his  parents  as  one  that  must  be  practically 
met,  and  their  clear  and  settled  judgment  was  that  they  must 
make  the  sacrifice. 

The  considerations  that,  in  the  climate  and  state  of  society 
in  Ceylon,  there  is  no  proper  employment  by  which  a  subsist- 
ence can  be  procured  or  habits  of  industry  formed ;  that  the 
moral  character  is  put  at  hazard,  without  suitable  means  of 
education,  or  the  possibility,  as  a  general  thing,  of  forming 
suitable  connections  in  marriage,  or  any  fair  prospects  of  use- 
fulness or  happiness  ;  that  Northern  people  dwindle  under  a 
tropical  sun,  and  that,  however  useful  they  themselves  might 
be,  "  their  posterity,  born  and  educated  in  India,  instead  of 
aiding  to  elevate  the  natives,  would,  in  all  probability,  gradu- 
ally sink  to  their  level :"  these  and  kindred  reasons  left  no  wa- 
vering in  the  minds  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Winslow  as  to  what  is 
duty  in  relation  to  this,  perhaps,  most  difficult  and  trying  sub- 
ject connected  with  missionary  life.  "  If  I  ever  send  a  daugh- 
ter to  America,"  Mrs.  Winslow  says,  "  I  think  it  must  be  before 
her  habits  are  formed  for  this  country.  I  feel  it  to  be  a  seri- 
ous evil  that  our  daughters  can  do  so  little  work.     Our  do- 


204  MRS.  HARRIET  L.  WI^SLOW. 

mestics  are  men,  from  whom  girls  must  be  far  removed.  How, 
then,  can  they  cook  ?  And  how  can  they  do  many  other  thingri 
which  they  might  if  at  home  ?  I  fear  and  dread  indolence 
more  than  almost  any  thing  in  my  daughters,  and  see  scarcely 
any  girls  here  industrious.  The  happiness  of  the  natives  con- 
sists in  sitting  perfectly  idle,  without  employment  for  body  or 
mind." 

She  followed  her  beloved  Charles  with  the  prayers,  and  coun- 
sels, and  anxieties  of  a  mother's  heart.  "Perhaps  you  won- 
der," she  says  to  a  Christian  friend,  "  how  we  can  send  him  ; 
or  are  you  enough  acquainted  with  our  situation  among  this 
heathen  people  to  agree  with  us  that  we  can  not  do  otherwise 
without  incurring  guilt  ?  We  hope  and  pray  that  he  may  be 
qualified  to  return  a  missionary  to  the  people  among  whom  he 
was  born ;  but  oh,  my  friend,  this  separation  and  anxiety  con- 
cerning all  the  uncertainties  of  his  life  and  character  have  cost 
his  mother  what  you  can  but  little  conceive  of.  My  trust  is 
in  the  living  G-od." 

Twenty  days  after  he  reached  our  shores,  on  the  24th  of 
May,  1832,  this  lovely  lad,  amid  the  sympathies  and  prayers 
of  his  mother's  kindred,  yielded  his  spirit  to  God.  Let  his 
mother  tell  the  emotions  of  her  heart.  "  The  Lord  has  come 
very  near  to  us  since  I  last  wrote,  and  we  have  realized  in  part 
what  was  then  so  much  dreaded.  Dear  Charles  is  no  longer 
an  inhabitant  of  earth  ;  but  is,  I  trust,  before  the  throne  of 
G-od  and  the  Lamb.  The  shock  was  what  few  can  conceive. 
Oh  how  we  loved  him.  How  our  expectations  were  raised 
concerning  his  usefulness.  But  the  Lord  has  not  seen  as  we 
see.  He  has  cut  him  down,  and,  I  doubt  not,  for  the  best  and 
wisest  reasons.     Perhaps  no  affliction  has  ever  been  more  need- 


MRS.  HARRIET  L.  WINS  LOW.  ^05 

etl,  and  I  humbly  hope  it  has  done  us  much  good.  It  has 
drawn  our  thoughts  and  feelings  upward,  and  made  us,  for  the 
time  at  least,  less  earthly.  It  has  made  the  Savior  more  pre- 
cious. Indeed,  I  think  that  new  views  of  his  character,  and 
of  my  relation  to  him,  have  been  given  me.  Had  I  chosen  the 
form  of  discipline,  it  would  have  been  different ;  but  doubtless 
this  is  best.  May  it  accomplish  all  for  which  it  was  sent.  It 
is  consoling  to  think  of  one  so  dear  as  having  escaped  the  pol- 
lutions of  the  world  and  joined  the  company  of  heaven.  There, 
we  hope,  are  Jive  of  our  little  ones.  Surely  we  have  reason  to 
think  of  our  treasures  above." 

We  turn  from  other  topics  pressing  on  our  attention  in  the 
life  of  this  admirable  woman,  to  her  early  death — another  il- 
lustration of  that  mystery  of  divine  Providence  by  which  those 
who  seem  most  needed  on  earth  are  called  upward  in  the  midst 
of  usefulness.  On  the  10th  of  December,  1832,  she  wrote  to 
her  mother,  "  I  expected  to  fill  a  long  letter,  but  shall  begin  an- 
other sheet,  to  be  finished,  I  hope,  about  a  month  hence  by  Mr. 
Winslow,  when  I  may  be  unable  to  write.  The  more  frequent 
contemplation  of  another  world,  occasioned  by  dear  Charles's 
death,  and  I  hope,  also,  some  nearer  approaches  than  usual  to 
Him  who  is  altogether  lovely,  have  made  it  seem  an  easier 
thing  for  me  to  die  than  has  been  common.  I  feel,  however, 
strong  ties  to  life,  and  hope  and  trust  it  will  please  the  Lord  to 
spare  me  still." 

In  expectation  of  her  confinement,  concerning  which  she 
was,  for  no  apparent  reason,  uncommonly  doubtful,  she  made 
her  preparations  much  as  she  would  have  done  had  she  known 
the  result,  and  that  she  should  be  unable  at  last  even  to  bid  any 
one  farewell.    All  the  concerns  of  the  boarding-school,  as  well  as 


206  MRS.  HARRIET  L.  WINS  LOW. 

the  affairs  of  her  household  and  of  the  station,  as  far  as  under  her 
management,  were  arranged  in  the  most  careful  manner,  and 
written  directions  were  left  concerning  them.  There  was  also  a 
paper  of  hints  concerning  her  children,  and  a  farewell  letter  to 
her  husband.  Nor  was  her  soul  neglected.  She  had  laid  up 
fresh  provision  for  passing  over  Jordan.  Her  affliction,  by- 
weaning  her  from  the  world — by  making  the  Bible  and  the 
throne  of  grace  more  precious — by  causing  her  to  look  to  a  com- 
passionate Savior  with  more  steady  faith,  and  to  appropriate  to 
herself  more  than  ever  before  the  precious  promises  of  his  "Word, 
so  changed  the  current  of  her  religious  feelings,  and  so  carried 
them  upward,  that  she  often  spoke  of  them  as  almost  entirely 
new.  On  Saturday  evening,  a  few  hours  before  her  death, 
though  much  occupied  with  other  concerns,  she  found  time  to 
express  some  of  her  feelings  and  desires  in  her  private  diary. 

"  January  12th,  1833.  My  time  for  writing  is  nearly  gone, 
at  least  for  the  present ;  and  my  dear  Charles's  birth-day  re- 
minds me  that  I  owe  it  to  the  Lord  for  his  merciful  affliction 
to  say  more  than  I  have  of  what  I  hope  it  has  done  for  me.  I 
have  even  thought,  at  times,  that  had  I  appeared  before  Him 
previous  to  this  stroke,  I  should  have  had  my  portion  with  hyp- 
ocrites and  unbelievers.  I  have  thought.  Is  it  possible  that, 
after  so  long  a  life  of  profession,  after  many  unspeakably  pre- 
cious seasons  at  the  throne  of  grace,  after  so  long  feeling  as- 
sured that  my  poor  prayers  were  heard  and  answered,  after  ex- 
periencing in  many  trials  that  '  good  is  the  will  of  the  Lord,' 
and  rejoicing  to  have  him  rule  and  reign,  and  after  hours, 
weeks,  and  months  of  bitter  agony  and  abhorrence  of  myself 
on  account  of  sin,  and  counting  the  holiness  of  heaven  more  to 
be  desired  than  all  the  world  can  offer,  I  have  never  before 


MRS.  HARRIET   L.  WINSLOW.  QQy 

submitted  to  Jesus  as  my  Lord  and  Savior — never  before  em- 
braced the  Gospel  as  a  little  child — never  come  unto  Jesns  so 
as  to  be  saved  ?  Oh,  can  it  be  ?  and  yet,  sure  I  am  that  I  nev- 
er before  saw  the  Savior  so  lovely,  so  desirable — never  consid- 
ered as  now  the  length,  and  breadth,  and  height,  and  depth  of 
that  love  which  passeth  knowledge — the  value  of  that  fountain 
which  is  set  open  for  sin  and  uncleanness  ;  never  saw  the  whole 
plan  of  salvation  so  perfect,  so  wonderful ;  never  with  such 
feelings  could  say,  '  My  Lord  and  my  God.'  And  while  this 
view  of  the  subject  has  seemed  greatly  to  endear  the  fond  ob- 
ject whose  removal  has  been  the  means,  I  have  been  thankful 
that  the  Lord  did  not  wholly  forsake  me,  and  did  not  leave  me 
to  compass  myself  about  with  sparks  of  my  own  kindling,  to 
strive  to  work  out  my  own  righteousness  by  tears  and  groans 
for  sin.  Oh,  I  bless  him  for  this  chastisement,  and  long  that 
it  should  bring  forth  more  fruit. 

"  Sometimes  heaven  has  seemed  very  near,  and  as  though  it 
would  be  easy  to  die.  At  other  times  I  have  had  less  confi- 
dence, and  more  fear  whether  all  is  yet  right  between  me  and 
my  God.  Should  I  now  be  called  from  my  little  family,  from 
my  dear  husband,  0  my  Savior !  let  me  rest  in  thine  arms ; 
carry  me  all  the  Jordan  through.  Oh  be  with  me,  even  as  I 
can  not  ask  or  think.  Support,  sustain  my  sinking  feet.  Be 
thou  my  Savior  in  that  dark  hour.  And  do  thou  most  gracious- 
ly bless  my  dear,  dear  husband.  Uphold  him  with  thine  ever- 
lasting arms.  My  dear  babes  !  may  they  be  thine,  thine  only, 
and  that  forever.  Oh  my  Savior,  enable  me  this  night  to  give 
myself  unto  thee,  and  do  thou  receive  me  in  that  well-ordered 
covenant  which  thou  didst  die  to  secure." 

She  attended  public  worship  both  on  the  morning  and  after- 


208  ^^^^-  HARRIET  L.  WINS  LOW. 

noon  of  the  succeeding  Sabbath  ;  in  the  evening  she  was  ill ; 
Dr.  Scudder  and  Mrs.  Spaulding  were  with  her  ;  and  a  little 
before  six  in  the  morning,  the  prayer  of  her  ascended  Lord  was 
fulfilled  in  her,  "  Father,  I  will  that  they  whom  thou  hast 
given  me  be  with  me  where  I  am,  that  they  may  behold  my 
glory." 

We  bless  G-od  for  such  a  conversion,  such  a  Christian  and 
missionary  life,  such  humble  reliance  in  death,  all  magnifying 
the  riches  of  his  grace.  We  bless  Him  for  such  an  example  of 
entire  consecration  to  his  service,  such  devotion  to  the  welfare 
of  dying  men  at  home  and  abroad,  and  fruits  so  rich  and  abund- 
ant gathered  to  his  praise.  We  bless  Him  for  such  an  illustra- 
tion of  what  a  young  lady,  with  sin-inking  delicacy  and  distrust 
of  herself — what  an  American  female  missionary — may  accom- 
plish ;  and  for  such  a  Missionary  Manual  as  her  memoir  pre- 
sents to  guide  the  inquiring,  as  to  the  qualifications,  prepara- 
tion, responsibilities,  conflicts,  duties,  trials,  toils,  joys,  and  tri- 
umphs of  missionary  life  among  the  heathen. 


JAMES  McEWEN. 


Fa(,  Simile  extract  krom  Letter  to  Josepk  P.  Engles,  Esq. 


REV.  JAMES   McEAVEN, 

PRESBYTERIAN     BOARD     OF    FOREIliN     MISSIONS. 

EY     REV.    JOHN     BUR  XT,* 
Blackvvoodton,  N.  J. 

JliVERY  man,  however  humble  his  condition,  has  a  history; 
and  whatever  may  be  the  variety  of  circumstances  through 
which  he  may  be  called  to  pass,  that  history,  in  its  measure, 
illustrates  the  laws  and  operations  of  a  superintending  Provi- 
dence, which,  in  the  vastness  and  complexity  of  the  universal, 
does  not  overlook  or  neglect  the  particular,  or  comparatively 
minute.  In  the  following  sketch  of  the  life  of  a  faithful  serv- 
ant of  Christ,  the  overruling  and  directing  hand  of  God,  in 
fitting  his  instruments  for  the  uses  and  ends  for  which  he  de- 
signs them,  and  in  obviating  the  difficulties  which  lie  in  the 
way  of  their  preparation  for  occupying  their  fore-determined 

*  This  memoir  has  been  compiled  from  Mr.  McEwen's  manuscript  "  Rem- 
iniscences" of  his  childhood  and  youth,  private  memoranda,  and  other  papers 
furnished  by  liis  widow. 


2]^2  REV.JAMESMcEWEN. 

position  in  society  or  in  the  Church,  will  not  escape  the  oh- 
servation  of  the  Christian  reader.  It  will  remind  hira  and  re- 
assure him  of  the  delightful  truth  that,  although  "  the  way  of 
man  is  not  in  himself,"  nor  is  it  "in  man  to  direct  his  steps;" 
yet  if  "  in  all  his  ways  he  acknowledge"  the  Lord,  he  will  not 
be  left  to  wander  in  perplexity,  or  to  labor  fruitlessly;  for  the 
Lord  will  "  direct  his  paths,"  and  whatever  may  be  profitable 
for  him,  "  he  will  bring  to  pass." 

The  Rev.  James  McEwen  was  born  at  the  commencement 
of  the  present  century.  The  place  of  his  birth  is  a  small  ham- 
let in  the  vicinity  of  Crief,  a  large  and  flourishing  village  in 
Perthshire,  Scotland,  beautifully  situated  at  the  base  of  the 
Grrampian  Mountains,  near  the  head  of  the  lower  valley  of 
Strath-Earn.  His  native  hamlet  consisted  of  only  six  or  seven 
cottages,  occupied  by  as  many  families,  whose  ancestors  had 
passed  their  earthly  pilgrimage  in  this  secluded  spot  for  several 
generations.  His  parents  were  not  rich  in  this  world's  goods ; 
but  they  were  rich  in  faith,  in  simple  piety,  in  knowledge  of 
the  Scriptures,  and  in  the  hope  of  "an  inheritance  incorrupti- 
ble, undefiled,  and  that  fadeth  not  away."  His  mother,  the 
only  child  of  parents  noted  for  their  piety  and  Christian  intelli- 
gence, had  been  carefully  brought  up  "  in  the  nurture  and  ad- 
monition of  the  Lord,"  and  seemed  to  be  one  of  the  few  who 
are  sanctified  from  the  womb.  She  had  been  honored  of  Grod 
as  the  instrument  of  bringing  him,  who  afterward  became  her 
husband,  to  a  saving  acquaintance  with  the  truth ;  and  the 
effect  of  the  prayers  and  instructions  of  such  a  mother  on  her 
children  can  not  be  fully  estimated.  Of  these  there  were 
nine  ;  two  of  whom  died  young.  James  was  her  fifth  child, 
and  his  relisjious  advantages,  under  the  Christian  care  and  con- 


REV.  JAMES  McEWE.W  213 

sistent  example  of  his  parents,  and  the  influence  of  other  pious 
friends,  were  evidently  great. 

His  maternal  grandfather,  after  whom  he  was  named,  and 
who  was  a  member  of  the  family,  bestowed  much  attention  on 
him,  especially  in  storing  his  young  mind  with  "  the  form  of 
sound  words,"  and  the  first  elements  of  Christian  knowledge. 
This  good  old  man,  when  James  was  but  two  years  old,  be- 
came his  companion  and  his  preceptor,  and  continued  after- 
ward to  hold  these  kind  and  useful  relations  to  him  until  the 
hand  of  death  dissolved  them.  His  as  yet  lisping  tongue  was 
trained  to  repeat,  with  childish  docility  and  melody,  the  words 
of  one  catechism,  and  a  considerable  portion  of  another,  to- 
gether with  a  number  of  the  Psalms  in  metre,  and  hymns, 
and  portions  of  Scripture,  before  he  could  read  ;  and  these,  by 
daily  repetition,  became  so  completely  fixed  in  his  mind,  that 
he  never  could  forget  them.  Thus  early  was  he  led,  like  an- 
other Timothy,  to  "know  from  childhood  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
which  were  able  to  make  him  wise  unto  salvation,  through 
faith  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus,"  and  to  be  furnished  with 
weapons  for  the  spiritual  warfare  in  which,  as  a  Christian  and 
a  minister,  he  was  in  after  life  to  be  engaged.  Is  not  the  hand 
of  Providence  evident  in  this  ? 

G-radually,  under  the  simple  tuition  of  his  affectionate  grand- 
parent, he  acquired  a  facility  in  reading,  which  afterward  be- 
came one  of  the  chief  sources  of  his  enjoyment ;  and  although, 
in  consequence  of  the  absence  of  books  adapted  to  the  wants 
and  intellect  of  childhood,  his  reading,  at  one  period,  was  not 
very  select,  yet  it  was  not  wholly  profitless.  In  addition  to 
home  instruction,  he  had  the  advantage,  exceedingly  rare  at 
that  time  in  the  rural  districts  of  Scotland,  of  attending  a  Sab- 


2\A  REV.  JAMES  McEWE N. 

bath-school,  the  only  one  in  that  part  of  the  country.  An  old 
man,  a  mechanic,  who  was  an  intimate  friend  of  the  family, 
and  who,  for  a  person  in  his  position,  possessed  an  uncommon 
store  of  biblical  and  theological  knowledge,  conducted  this 
school  in  his  own  house.  For  thirty  years  he  persevered  in  the 
benevolent  labors  of  the  Sabbath-school,  the  pupils  of  which 
were  gathered  out  of  the  families  in  the  neighborhood  ;  and,  al- 
though defective  in  his  method,  compared  with  the  improved 
system  now  in  general  use,  yet  James,  in  common  with  many 
others,  was  laid  under  the  most  lasting  obligations  to  this  hum- 
ble and  intelligent  Christian  for  his  "labor  of  love." 

When  about  three  years  of  age,  he  caught  the  small-pox, 
which,  besides  other  sufferings,  caused  the  loss  of  sight  in  one 
of  his  eyes  ;  other  infantile  diseases  also  ensuing,  probably  im- 
paired to  a  considerable  degree  his  constitution.  Under  the 
pressure  of  these  afflictions,  and  from  the  influence  of  his  re- 
ligious training,  he  began  very  early  to  manifest  a  good  deal 
of  tenderness  on  the  subject  of  his  salvation.  The  commission 
of  a  fault  called  up  the  severe  rebukes  of  conscience,  and  the 
painful  apprehension  that  he  might  be  lost  forever.  From  his 
third  to  his  seventh  year,  the  influences  to  which  he  was  ex- 
posed were  all  on  the  side  of  godliness.  The  numerous  friends 
of  the  family,  who  frequently  called  or  visited,  were  pious ; 
and  their  conversation,  carried  on  without  reserve  in  his  pres- 
ence, was  seasoned  with  grace.  Thus  all  circumstances,  as 
far  as  these  can  afTect  the  state  of  the  heart,  were  propitious 
to  the  growth  of  religion  in  his  soul. 

In  addition  to  all  those  means  of  drawing  him  to  Christ,  the 
conduct  of  his  eldest  brother,  tending  to  the  same  object,  must 
not  be  omitted,  especially  as  it  presents  us  with  a  beautiful 


REV.  JAMES  McEWEN.  O'io 

example  of  the  power  of  grace  when  it  takes  possession  of  the 
youthful  heart.  "  It  would  be  wrong,"  says  Mr.  McEwen  in 
his  Reminiscences,  "  not  to  mention  in  this  place  how  much  I 
owe  to  my  eldest  brother.  He  became  a  subject  of  divine 
grace  himself  at  a  very  early  age,  and  he  soon  became  the  in- 
structor and  guide  of  his  younger  brothers  and  sisters.  I  can 
remember  well,  when  he  could  not  have  been  more  than  twelve 
or  thirteen  years  old,  that  on  a  Sabbath,  or  other  occasions, 
when  left  in  charge  of  the  children,  he  would  collect,  not  those 
of  our  own  family  only,  but  also  the  other  children  of  the  ham- 
let, and  read  and  pray  with  us,  and  talk  to  us  seriously  on  di- 
vine subjects.  Many  have  been  the  times  that  he  talked  seri- 
ously to  me,  and  taught  my  young  lips  both  to  pray  and 
praise."  Mr.  McEwen  adds,  that  this  brother  "joined  the 
Church  in  his  eleventh  year,  and  has  been  for  many  years  an 
elder  of  the  same,  walking  worthy  of  the  Lord  unto  all  well 
pleasing." 

With  all  these  outward  advantages,  and  the  promising  ap- 
pearances in  many  parts  of  his  conduct,  Mr.  McEwen,  never- 
theless, in  looking  back  on  this  period  of  his  life,  expressed  his 
conviction  that,  at  that  time,  he  had  not  experienced  a  saving 
change  of  heart. 

The  pleasure  which  he  showed  in  listening  to  religious  con- 
versation, his  pertinent  questions  relative  to  divine  things,  his 
remarkably  retentive  memory,  his  fondness  for  reading,  his 
quickness  in  receiving  and  capacity  for  retaining  knowledge, 
his  love  for  prayer,  and  his  rather  delicate  health,  taken  all 
together,  suggested  the  thought  to  his  friends  that  he  was  de- 
signed, in  Providence,  to  become  a  minister  of  the  Gospel. 
This  early  presage,  and  the  warmly  expressed  desire  of  his 


2\Q  REV.  JAMES  McEWEN 

mother  that  it  might  be  realized,  was  laid  up  among  the  se- 
cretly cherished  forecastings  of  his  own  mind,  and  probably- 
tended  to  prepare  him  for  embracing  the  facilities,  which  in 
process  of  time  were  offered  him,  for  entering  upon  the  work 
of  the  ministry. 

After  the  death  of  his  grandfather  he  was  sent  to  school. 
This  was  in  the  seventh  year  of  his  age.  But  the  circumstan- 
ces of  his  father  rendering  it  necessary,  he  was  soon  removed, 
and  placed  under  the  care  of  a  pious  farmer,  from  whom  he 
received  his  board  and  a  trifling  sum  as  wages,  for  tending  the 
cattle  in  the  fields.  This  gave  him  abundance  of  time  for  read- 
ing. Books,  however,  adapted  to  the  young  capacity,  and,  at 
the  same  time,  to  the  wants  of  the  juvenile  intellect,  conscience, 
and  heart,  were  scarcely  to  be  met  with.  A  literature  of  a 
wholesome  moral  and  religious  character  for  the  young  had 
not  as  yet  come  into  existence.  But  there  was,  at  that  time, 
abundance  of  books  of  another  class,  consisting  of  ballads,  fairy 
tales,  and  stories,  filled  with  coarse  wit  and  ill-constructed  ad- 
ventures, calculated  for  mere  entertainment,  without  informa- 
tion and  without  a  ntioral.  The  subject  of  our  narrative  read 
daily  a  portion  of  the  Bible,  and  attended  to  his  Catechism  ; 
but,  exclusive  of  these,  he  "  devoured  greedily  every  book  that 
came  in  his  way."  So  retentive  was  his  memory,  that  he 
could  repeat,  almost  verbatim,  many  of  the  little  story-books, 
old  ballads,  and  amusing  poems,  which  had  been  his  compan- 
ions in  the  solitude  of  his  field  employment ;  and  he  was  in  the 
habit  of  recitin":  them,  to  the  cjratification  of  the  farmer's  fam- 
ily,  from  his  station  in  the  chimney-corner,  in  the  evenings. 
He  much  lamented  this  abuse  of  time  and  talent  in  his  after- 
days,  as  it  had  a  corrupting  influence  on  his  heart,  and  stored 


REV.  J  A  ME  S  McEWE.X.  217 

his  memory  with  "  foolish  nonsense,"  which  he  "  labored  hard 
to  forget,"  without  being  wholly  successful. 

During  this  period  he  was  not  without  short  seasons  of  very 
serious  impressions,  which  would  sometimes  interrupt  his  rest, 
and  make  him  weep  and  try  to  pray.  He  was  fully  convinced 
that  without  holiness  he  could  not  see  the  Lord  ;  and  notwith- 
standing the  flattery  of  some  injudicious  friends,  his  conscience 
was  faithful,  and  told  him  that  he  was  not  holy,  and  therefore 
he  was  exposed  to  the  wrath  of  Grod.  The  fear  of  perishing 
gave  him,  at  times,  great  uneasiness,  and  even  terror ;  from 
the  force  of  education,  he  never  entertained  the  idea  that  he 
could  be  saved  by  his  works  ;  and  yet,  although  he  believed 
that  he  could  be  saved  by  Christ  alone,  his  ideas  concerning 
gratuitous  justification  through  the  Savior's  imputed  righteous- 
ness were  confused  and  indistinct. 

When  he  was  about  the  age  of  thirteen,  his  excellent  moth- 
er died.  This  event  made  a  deep  and  salutary  impression  on 
him,  and  sent  him  for  consolation  and  direction  to  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  with  which  his  memory  was  abundantly  stored. 
Every  portion  of  his  history  furnishes  evidence  of  the  inestima- 
ble advantage  he  derived  from  his  early  habit,  formed  under 
the  pious,  but  too  generally  obsolete  discipline  of  his  grandfa- 
ther, of  storing  his  memory,  while  as  yet  it  was  the  predomi- 
nant faculty  of  his  mind,  with  the  ipsissima  verba  of  the  in- 
spired oracles.  Let  parents  take  courage  from  this  example, 
to  lay  deep  the  principles  of  virtue  and  piety  in  the  infant  mind, 
by  intertwining  with  the  opening  buds  of  thought  the  unfad- 
ing beauties  and  sustaining  truths  of  heavenly  wisdom. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  Mr.  McEwen  did  not  bring  down 
his  "Reminiscences"  to  a  later  period  than  that  of  his  child- 


2^Q  REV.  JAMES  McEWEN. 

hood.  "We  should  have  been  edified  in  tracing  his  progress 
more  accurately  and  closely  than  we  can  do  now,  during  that 
season  of  youth  and  early  manhood  when  the  strength  of  early 
principles  is  tested  by  powerful  temptations,  excitable  and  way- 
ward passions,  exposure  to  the  fascinations  of  pleasant  but  un- 
godly company,  and  increased  intercourse  with  the  world.  We 
have  only,  in  relation  to  this  important  part  of  Mr.  McE wen's 
career,  a  few  undated  particulars,  gleaned  from  the  recollec- 
tions of  his  friends. 

It  appears  that  in  early  youth,  some  years  short  of  twenty, 
he  joined  the  Church  ;  but,  as  his  later  experience  showed,  this 
solemn  act  must  have  been  consummated  in  compliance  with 
the  urgent  importunities  of  his  partial  friends,  and  in  conform- 
ity with  the  general  practice  of  his  country  half  a  century 
ago,  whatever  that  practice  may  be  now.  Mr.  McE  wen's  con- 
victions of  duty  no  doubt  harmonized  with  the  views  of  his 
friends,  and  the  prevalent  opinion  of  the  people  by  whom  he 
was  surrounded.  And  so  well  regulated  was  his  conduct,  that 
probably  not  he  himself,  much  less  his  fellow-members,  could  be 
aware  that  his  religion  was  but  a  form,  shaped  by  the  force  of 
instilled  principles,  but  not  warmed  and  animated  with  the  faith 
and  love  of  a  renewed  heart. 

Some  time  after  the  death  of  his  mother,  he  was  bound  an 
apprentice  to  a  carpenter,  and,  with  his  usual  readiness  of  ac- 
quiring any  thing  to  which  he  applied  his  mind,  he  was  equal- 
ly successful  and  industrious.  When  his  time  of  apprentice- 
ship had  expired,  he  was  induced,  by  the  advice  of  his  friends, 
to  go  to  Edinburgh,  with  the  view  of  following  his  business  to 
greater  advantage.  This  was  a  new  and  important  step  of  his 
life,  in  which  we  may  clearly  discern  the  leadings  of  a  wise 


REV.  JAMES   McEWEN.  219 

and  gracious  Providence.  He  carried  with  him  his  rehgious 
habits,  and  became  a  constant  attendant  on  the  ministry  of  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Scott,  of  that  city.  Here  he  was  awakened  to  sol- 
emn conviction  of  the  true  state  of  his  soul,  and  experienced  a 
season  of  deep  distress.  The  first  ray  of  divine  light  and  peace 
visited  him,  while  he  was  pouring  out  his  heart  to  G-od  in  se- 
cret, in  a  secluded  spot  on  Arthur's  Seat,  a  hill  which  over- 
looks the  city.  This  happened  early  on  a  Sabbath  morning ; 
and  that  hillside  was  made  to  him  a  mount  of  transfiguration, 
where  he  was  privileged  to  be  with  his  Savior,  and  by  faith  to 
see  his  glory.  From  that  happy  hour  he  became  a  decided  and 
devoted  Christian,  both  in  heart  and  life. 

Retired  in  his  habits,  he  had  only  a  few  companions,  but  they 
were  select.  On  this  subject  he  remarked  to  his  sister,  when 
walking  along  the  streets  of  Edinburgh :  "  I  love  few  as  com- 
panions, and  I  love  them  well."  By  these  few  kindred  spirits 
he  was  introduced  to  prayer-meetings  and  meetings  for  the  dis- 
cussion of  religious  subjects,  which  were  conducted,  not  for 
controversial  purposes,  but  on  principles  of  a  practical  nature ; 
for  establishment  and  progress  in  divine  knowledge,  and  spirit- 
ual improvement.  Of  these  meetings  Mr.  McEwen  was  a  cor- 
dial and  active  member,  and  they  present  another  link  in  the  se- 
ries of  providences  by  which  the  Lord  was  gradually  fitting  him, 
and  leading  him  unconsciously  onward  to  that  position  in  the 
Church  in  which  he  was  to  be  a  zealous  and  successful  witness 
for  Christ.  His  pious  friends,  whom  he  constantly  saw  at  these 
meetings,  were  not  long  in  discovering  his  extensive  knowledge 
of  Scripture,  his  clear  insight  into  the  doctrines  of  grace,  and 
his  excellent  gift  in  prayer  ;  and  at  their  instance,  he  was  pre- 
vailed upon,  under  feelings  of  nmch  diffidence  and  a  deep  sense 


220  ^  ■^'  ''•  -^-A'^IE S   McE  WE X. 

of  responsibility,  to  take  charge,  on  Sabbaths,  of  a  large  Char- 
ity School,  the  expenses  of  which  were  borne  by  the  late  pious 
Miss  Reid,  of  Edinburgh.  Many  of  the  pupils,  through  his  in- 
strumentality, became  members  of  the  Church,  and,  as  there 
was  every  reason  to  hope,  living  stones  in  the  spiritual  temple 
of  God. 

After  some  years  profitably  and  usefully  spent  in  Edinburgh, 
he  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  furnished  by  Miss  Reid  with 
the  most  ample  testimonials  of  his  unremitting  zeal  and  suc- 
cessful efforts.  This  occurred  in  1827.  After  encountering 
some  of  the  difficulties  incident  to  a  stranger  in  a  strange  land, 
he  settled  in  Philadelphia,  and  connected  himself  with  the 
Eighth  Presbyterian  Church.  Here  his  ardent  piety  and  evi- 
dent gifts  for  usefulness  recommended  him  to  the  respect  and 
confidence  of  his  Christian  brethren,  and  he  was  unanimously 
chosen  and  set  apart  as  an  elder  of  that  church.  The  idea,  com- 
municated to  his  mind  in  childhood,  that  he  would  be  a  minis- 
ter of  the  Gospel,  had  never  entirely  left  him  ;  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, had  ripened  with  growing  years  and  piety  into  a  strong 
desire,  and  an  indefinite,  yet  cherished  hope,  that  he  might  ob- 
tain an  entrance  into  that  office.  The  same  idea  occurred  to 
some  of  his  friends  in  Philadelphia,  and,  advised  and  urged  by 
them  to  the  preparatory  steps,  with  promises  of  the  necessary 
assistance,  he  commenced  and  finished  a  course  of  academical 
education  under  the  able  tuition  of  a  friend  and  fellow-elder. 
By  the  assiduous  attention  of  his  teacher,  and  his  own  vigorous 
application,*  he  was  prepared  for  the  Theological  Seminary  at 
Princeton,  which  he  entered  in  November,  1831. 

*  "  While  pmsiiing  his  academical  course,  lie  wrote,  at  the  suggestion  of  his 
teacher,  a  brief  statement  of  his  views  of  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel,  which 


REV.  JAMES   Mc E  WEy.  OOI 

Under  a  profound  sense  of  the  solemn  responsibilities  he  was 
now  assuming,  he  devoted  himself  anew  to  the  Lord,  and  ap- 
plied himself  with  sueh  earnestness  and  success  to  his  studies, 
and  manifested  such  a  maturity  in  grace  as  to  gain  the  es- 
teem both  of  the  professors  and  of  his  fellow-students.  Hav- 
ing finished  a  full  course  of  Theology  at  the  Seminary,  and 
having  long  felt  an  ardent  desire  to  engage  in  the  missionary 
work,  he  offered  himself,  and  was  accepted  as  a  missionary  by 
the  Presbyterian  Western  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  under 
whose  direction  he  acted  for  a  year  as  their  agent  among  the 
churches,  with  acceptance. 

With  what  cordiality  and  zeal  he  prosecuted  this  preliminary 
work,  we  may  gather  from  the  following  extract  from  a  letter 
to  a  friend,  in  the  early  part  of  1835  :  "I  love  the  work  in 
which  I  am  now  engaged  ;  I  feel  that  it  is  profitable  to  my 
own  heart.  I  never  feel  so  much  pity  for  the  souls  of  the  per- 
ishing heathen  as  when  I  am  endeavoring  to  tell  others  of  their 
miserable  condition.  I  never  feel  such  a  desire  of  being  en- 
gaged in  missionary  labor  myself,  as  when  I  am  trying  to  stir 
up  a  spirit  of  missions  in  others.  I  bless  God  that  I  can  say 
in  sincerity  that  I  feel  this  desire  increasing  in  my  heart  daily. 
I  do  rejoice  in  the  prospect  now  before  me ;  and  if  my  heart 
does  not  deceive  me,  I  would  not  exchange  it  for  any  thing  that 
the  world  can  offer." 

On  the  24th  of  April,  1835,  he  was  ordained  a  missionary 
to  Northern  India,  in  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church,  Phila- 
delphia.    The  Rev.  W.  M.  Engies  ])reached  the  sermon  from 

was  afterward  published  in  the  Presbyterian,  in  several  successive  numbers, 
under  the  title  of '  Plain  Divinity,'  and  which  was  much  admired,  and  attributed 
by  many  to  a  more  experienced  pen." — Obituary  Notice. 


222  REV.  JAMES  McEWEN. 

Acts,  xxii.,  21,  which  was  afterward  published,  and  in  which 
we  are  presented  with  a  brief,  but  clear  and  impressive  view 
of  the  commission  and  qualifications  of  a  missionary  to  the  hea- 
then. We  have  no  materials  at  hand  by  which  we  can  ascer- 
tain the  state  of  his  feelings  during  the  interval  between  his 
ordination  and  his  sailing  for  India ;  but  we  can  readily  and 
surely  judge,  from  the  maturity  of  his  piety,  his  unreserved  de- 
votedness  to  the  service  of  his  Savior,  and  his  long-cherished 
desire  of  the  privilege  of  proclaiming  the  Grospel  to  the  hea- 
then, that  there  was  no  change  either  of  feeling  or  of  purpose, 
except  that  of  growing  intensity  and  earnestness  of  spirit,  to 
be  engaged  in  actual  labor  among  the  distant,  destitute,  and 
perishing. 

In  the  following  November,  Mr.  McEwen  married  Miss  Sa- 
rah Symington,  of  Philadelphia,  who  accompanied  him  in  his 
pilgrimage  of  labors  and  sufferings  to  India,  and  returned  with 
him  to  the  United  States  in  1839,  to  see  him  struggle  under 
an  increasing  burden  of  bodily  pain  and  infirmity,  and  labor 
on  in  the  service  of  his  beloved  Savior  for  a  few  years  longer, 
and  then  to  watch  at  his  death-bed,  and  witness  the  triumph 
of  his  faith  amid  the  agonies  of  dissolution. 

Shortly  after  his  marriage,  he  sailed,  in  company  with  oth- 
ers, for  his  designated  field  of  missionary  effort.  "  On  the  pas- 
sage out"  (we  quote  from  an  obituary  notice,  by  his  former 
friend  and  tutor),  "  a  revival  of  the  most  interesting  character 
took  place  among  the  officers  and  seamen,  in  which  he  took  a 
deep  concern,  and  acted  a  conspicuous  part.  On  his  arrival  in 
India,  his  destination  was  providentially  fixed  at  Allahabad. 
His  health,  which  was  not  robust  at  the  time  of  his  sailing, 
soon  failed  under  the  severity  of  the  climate  and  the  pressure 


REV.  J  A  MES  3Ic  E  W  E  N.  223 

of  missionary  labors  ;  yet,  in  the  midst  of  bodily  infirmity,  he 
continued  to  labor  faithfully,  chiefly  among  the  European  res- 
idents ;  and  when  compelled  to  abandon  the  missionary  field, 
he  bore  the  most  substantial  proofs  of  the  respect  and  Christian 
affection  of  those  who  had  enjoyed  his  labors." 

In  his  letters  written  home  from  Allahabad,  it  is  interesting 
to  read  the  revelation  of  his  inward  conflicts,  furnished  by  him- 
self, in  which  it  evidently  appears  that  the  Lord  was  with  him, 
and  crowned  his  faith  with  victory,  while  the  outward  man 
was  borne  down  and  vanquished  by  the  force  of  its  afflictions. 
We  present  the  following  extracts  : 

"  Truth  compels  me  to  state  that  I  feel  my  constitution  to  be 
so  impaired  by  so  many  repeated  attacks  of  disease,  there  is  very 
little  hope  that  I  shall  ever  enjoy  sound  health  in  this  country. 
Even  now,  although  the  weather  is  delightfully  cool  and  pleas- 
ant, it  is  as  much  as  I  can  do,  through  the  power  of  medicine 
and  other  means,  to  keep  down  the  fever,  and  to  keep  the  pain 
in  my  side  from  laying  me  up  again.  The  physicians  have 
told  me  decidedly  that  if  I  have  another  attack  like  the  one  I 
have  had,  I  will  in  all  probability  sink  under  it.  But  the  will 
of  the  Lord  be  done.  Li  reviewing  the  past,  I  feel  confident 
that  I  was  honest  with  my  own  heart,  and  that  I  did  follow 
what  appeared  to  me  to  be  the  plain  leadings  of  Providence 
and  of  the  Spirit  of  G-od,  and  I  can  not  yet  see  how  I  could 
have  acted  otherwise  than  I  did  and  been  blameless.  I  still 
believe  that  the  Lord  has  led  me  on  thus  far,  and  that  he  di- 
rected my  wandering  steps  to  this  place.  What  he  intends  to 
accomplish  by  it  I  do  not  know,  neither  do  I  wish  to  be  solic- 
itous about  it.  Present  duty  is  ours,  future  events  the  Father 
hath  kept  in  his  own  hand.     The  idea  of  not  being  permitted  to 


224  ^  ^  ^'''  J^-^IES  McE  WE  N. 

labor,  after  I  have  been  sent  out  here  at  so  great  an  expense, 
often  makes  me  uneasy,  and  during  my  sickness  I  found  it 
very  difficult  to  keep  from  murmuring  on  that  account.     The 
thought  often  presents  itself — I  am  too  unworthy  to  be  per- 
mitted to  labor  in  such  a  glorious  work  as  that  of  bringing,  the 
poor  heathen  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Savior ;  and  that,  through 
the  pride  of  my  heart,  I  have  rushed  on  to  a  work  to  which  I 
have  not  been  called.     Such  thoughts  sometimes  render  me 
unhappy,  and  lead  me  again  to  examine  the  past ;  but  I  can 
assure  you  that  I  have  never  for  one  moment  been  led  to  the 
calm  conclusion  that  I  did  wrong  in  coming  here.     And  now 
that  the  Lord  has  guided  me  to  a  field  where  so  much  is  to  be 
done,  and  has  so  far  restored  my  health  as  to  enable  me  to  en- 
ter upon  the  work,  I  am  happy ;  and  if  he  will  enable  me  to 
continue,  I  will  indeed  rejoice.     In  the  mean  time,  I  wish  to  do 
with  all  my  might  what  my  hands  find  to  do,  that  if  I  am 
again  laid  aside,  I  may  not  have  to  condemn  myself  that  when 
I  had  an  opportunity  to  labor  I  neglected  it."       *         *         * 
"  If  we  can  stay  with  safety  until  the  other  missionaries  arrive, 
it  would  be  very  desirable.     But  the  Lord  will  order  it  all 
aright.     The  thought  of  being  obliged  to  return,  I  can  assure 
you,  is  not  any  more   pleasant  than  usual.     It  is  a  subject 
from  which  my  mind  shrinks,  and  yet  it  is  the  subject  which 
occupies  the  chief  part  of  my  thoughts,  and  a  thousand  ques- 
tions present  themselves  to  my  mind,  such  as  the  following : 
Has  the  Lord,  then,  rejected  me  as  unworthy  to  labor  among 
the  heathen  ?     Has  he  weighed  me  in  the  balance  and  found 
me    wanting — wanting   in  zeal  for  his  glory  ;  in  singleness  of 
heart,  in  love  to  the  souls  of  dying  men,  in  missionary  qualifi- 
cations ?  &c.     "What  will  the  friends  at  home  think  ?     When 


REV.  JAMES  McEWEN.  225 

I  consider  the  deep-rooted  feeling  that  exists  throughout  the 
American  Churches  against  missionaries  returning  from  their 
field  of  labor,  I  confess  to  you  I  tremble  at  the  idea  of  return- 
ing. But  this  partakes  too  much  of  the  fear  of  man,  which 
brings  a  snare.  Oh  that  we  may  be  suitably  humbled  before 
the  Lord  I  One  thing  troubles  me  very  much,  that  is,  lest  my 
returning  should  be  the  means  of  discouraging  any  more  wor- 
thy and  better  qualified  laborers  from  coming  to  this  field.  I 
hope  and  pray  that  this  may  not  be  the  case."  *  *  * 
"  The  physician  of  this  station  has  told  me  that  I  must  leave 
the  country  if  I  would  save  my  life.  I  have  been  so  ill  ever 
since  the  commencement  of  the  hot  weather,  that  I  have  re- 
quired his  constant  attendance ;  but  although  he  has  done  every 
thing  for  me  that  he  can,  the  disease  (which  is  now  rather  a 
complication  of  diseases),  although  its  more  rapid  progress  has 
certainly  been  checked  by  his  treatment,  is  not  at  all  removed, 
but  seems  to  be  taking  a  faster  hold  of  my  constitution.  I 
have  been  almost  closely  confined  to  the  house  for  several 
months  past,  and  as  I  am  unable  to  study,  I  am  almost  entire- 
ly useless,  while  I  constantly  suffer  a  great  deal  of  pain  night 
and  day.  Indeed,  the  only  ease  or  rest  which  I  have  had  for 
some  time  past  has  been  through  the  influence  of  anodynes. 
I  have  continued  to  preach,  when  I  am  able,  on  the  Sabbath 
morning,  and  one  evening  in  the  week,  to  our  little  Church, 
who  still  meet  in  our  house.  The  doctor  prohibited  me  from 
doing  it  some  time  ago,  but  as  it  is  the  onli/  thing  that  I  can 
do,  I  am  anxious  to  try  it  as  long  as  I  am  able." 

In  relation  to  the  few  remaining  years  of  this  afflicted  serv- 
ant of  G-od,  the  writer  of  this  sketch  avails  himself  of  the 
obituary  already  quoted,  as  summing  up  briefly,  but  clearly 

P 


226  REV.  JA3IES  McEWEN. 

and  comprehensively,  the  leading  events  of  his  life,  from  the 
period  of  his  return  from  India  until  he  was  summoned  away 
to  participate  in  his  longed-for  inheritance — the  "  rest  that  re- 
maineth  for  the  people  of  Grod." 

"  Having  returned  to  this  country  early  in  the  year  1839, 
with  a  shattered  constitution,  he  paid  a  visit  to  his  native 
country  the  same  year,  and  while  his  health  was  improved,  his 
spirit  was  refreshed  with  witnessing  the  glorious  work  of  God 
in  Kilsyth,  in  that  year.  Shortly  after  returning  from  Scot- 
land, he  received  and  accepted  a  call  to  be  pastor  of  the  church 
in  Delhi,  New  York.  Here  he  entered  on  a  course  of  the  most 
arduous  and  self-denying  labors,  in  which  he  persevered  until 
within  a  few  weeks  of  his  death,  notwithstanding  he  was  the 
subject  of  organic  disease,  which  scarcely  gave  him  one  day's 
exemption  from  pain.  Within  the  last  three  years,  being  con- 
vinced that  the  term  of  his  service  in  the  vineyard  would  be 
short,  he  devoted  himself  with  the  spirit  of  a  martyr  to  the 
most  zealous  and  laborious  efforts  in  his  Master's  cause.  Dur- 
ing this  time  his  growth  in  gi'ace  became  more  and  more  con- 
spicuous to  those  with  whom  he  was  most  familiar.  He  ap- 
peared to  be  constantly  watching  for  the  Master's  coming,  and 
striving  to  have  his  work  done  before  the  day  closed.  On  the 
third  Sabbath  of  January,  1845,  he  was  seized  with  the  attack 
which  was  to  close  his  earthly  labors.  In  the  prospect  of  be- 
ing soon  summoned  into  the  presence  of  his  Judge,  to  give  up 
his  final  account,  he  commenced  a  course  of  the  most  serious 
self-examination  as  to  the  state  of  his  soul,  and  the  evidences 
of  his  acceptance  with  God.  This  resulted  in  a  calm  con- 
fidence and  settled  assurance  that  his  hopes  were  founded  on 
the  Rock  of  Ao^es,  which  would  never  fail  him.     During  the 


REV.  JAMES  McEWEN.  227 

seven  weeks  of  his  last  illness,  this  confidence  was  never  for  a 
moment  shaken.  Indeed,  his  hope,  and  peace,  and  joy  were,  as 
he  himself  expressed  it,  as  great  as  he  desired  or  could  bear. 
Patience  with  him  had  its  perfect  work.  Not  a  murmuring  or 
repining  word  escaped  his  lips.  Those  who  ministered  around 
his  bed  felt  it  a  privilege  to  wait  on  one  so  patient,  so  fearful 
of  giving  trouble,  so  sincerely  resigned  to  his  Lord's  will. 
While  his  body  was  racked  with  indescribable  agony,  so  as  to 
cause  his  physicians  to  wonder  that  human  nature  could  so 
long  endure  it,  his  mind  was  calm  and  collected.  He  had  a 
desire  to  depart  and  be  with  Christ.  The  thought  of  recovery, 
he  said,  was  to  him  most  painful.  In  broken  accents,  he  would 
often  exclaim,  '  Come,  Lord  Jesus,  come !'  Once,  during  a 
short  interval  of  ease,  while  a  sweet  smile  spread  over  his  feat- 
ures, he  said,  '0  never  cease  to  praise  the  Lord."  In  the 
paroxysms  of  his  pain,  lest  the  source  of  his  distress  should  be 
mistaken,  he  would  lay  his  hand  on  his  breast,  and  say,  '  Sore 
physical  pain  I'  His  departure  at  last  was  literally  a  falling 
asleep  in  Jesus.  Mr.  McEwen  was  a  diligent  student,  a  faith- 
ful preacher,  a  sound  divine,  and,  what  is  more  than  all,  a  sin- 
cere Christian." 

His  friends  loved  him  while  living  ;  they  bowed  with  sub- 
mission to  the  will  of  "the  Lord  of  the  harvest,"  who  was 
pleased,  so  soon,  to  bid  him  rest  from  his  labors.  His  works 
will  follow  him  to  the  presence  of  the  Savior,  where  we  believe 
he  is,  and  will  bear  witness  to  the  earnestness,  love,  and  sim- 
ple faith  with  which  he  leaned  on  the  promises,  and  by  which, 
Christ  strengthening  him,  he  labored  with  patience  and  suc- 
cess. 


CATHARINE  H.  SCUDDER. 


Fac  Simtle  extract  from  Letter  to  her  Parents  on  the  eve  of  embarking  from 
Boston  for  India. 


/ 


/Lc-^^T^^i-yt^^i'^t-'tf'-f-^^ 


-■e^-T^-^-y^ 


^^^-^-^-^^.i^ 


MRS.  CATHERINE   H.  SCUDDER, 

AMERICAN     BOARD     OF     COMMISSIONERS     FOR     FOREIGN     MISSIONS. 

BY    K,EV.    M.    S.    HUT  TON,    D.D., 
New  York. 

\jrOD'S  way  is  always  in  the  deep,  and  his  paths  are  not 
known ;  but  how  entirely  inscrutable  to  us  is  the  early  death 
of  a  useful  missionary. 

When  we  realize  the  mental  and  moral  conflict  through 
which  the  spirit  must  pass  while  pondering  the  solemn  ques- 
tion whether  duty  to  our  Lord  required  self-exile  from  home 
for  the  sake  of  the  heathen,  and  when,  after  these  mighty  strug- 


232  ■'^^^■S'-  CATHERINE  H.  SCUDDER. 

gles  have  been  endured,  the  question  has  been  answered,  and 
the  self-disciplined  heart,  with  all  its  pantings  over,  is  laid 
hushed  into  peace  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  willing  to  go  any  where 
and  to  do  any  thing,  we  feel  that  it  must  be  for  permanent 
good  that  all  this  has  been  endured. 

And  then,  again,  when  we  follow  the  devoted  missionary  to 
his  new  home,  and  see  his  affections  thus  riven  from  all  which 
the  heart  once  held  dear,  twining  themselves  around  new  ob- 
jects on  a  foreign  soil,  the  feeling  becomes  strengthened,  and 
we  are  ready  to  exclaim,  now  surely  it  is  for  some  great  and 
lasting  purpose  that  our  kind  and  sympathizing  Lord  has  thus 
transplanted  him,  when,  lo  !  all  our  expectations  are  disappoint- 
ed, and  instead  of  the  glad  story  of  a  long  life  of  usefulness  and 
of  success,  there  comes  borne  to  us  across  the  waters  his  calm 
and  peaceful  death-song. 

To  us,  in  our  short-sightedness,  this  seems  to  be  very  strange. 
It  seems  like  a  mighty  sacrifice  made  for  naught — an  uncalled- 
for  waste  of  life,  affections,  and  holy  struggle,  that,  just  as  he 
has  been  made  fit  for  usefulness — just  as  he  was  becoming  a 
blessing  to  the  darkened  minds  around  him,  the  blessing  is 
borne  away  from  the  face  of  the  earth.  Yet  thus  it  often  hap- 
pens. Thus  was  it  with  the  young  and  lovely  missionary  of 
whom  we  now  write,  and  of  whom  we  would  retain  some  me- 
morial in  the  Church  on  earth.  The  Church  in  heaven  needs 
it  not ;  for  there  before  the  throne,  with  brightening  crown, 
stands  our  sainted  sister,  and  her  works  do  follow  her.  Her 
career  on  earth  was  beautiful  and  short.  Like  some  bright 
bird  of  paradise,  she  just  lighted  on  the  shore  of  heathenism, 
giving  testimony  of  the  existence  of  a  happier  land,  and  then 
returned  to  finish  her  song  in  that  happier  land.     She  died  soon 


MRS.  CATHERINE  H.  SCUDDER.  930 

after  she  had  reached  her  India  home,  just  as  she  was  begin- 
ning to  lisp  in  Tamul  words  to  benighted  minds  the  story  of  a 
Savior's  love. 

Was,  then,  we  are  ready  to  inquire,  all  this  sacrifice  of  leav- 
ing home,  kindred,  friends,  and  Church  unnecessary  and  vain  ? 
Was  there  no  needs-be  for  those  hours  of  conflict  and  those 
heart-breaking  farewells  ?  Ah !  we  know  that  a  kinder,  wiser 
heart  than  ours  rules  and  guides  the  lot  of  those  whom  he 
loves.  We  see  in  these  providences  Grod  taking  his  own  way 
to  prepare  his  children  for  heaven.  He  first  removes  them  from 
almost  all  held  dear  on  earth,  takes  them,  as  it  were,  alone  to 
himself  in  some  far  off  heathen  land,  and  there,  in  his  love  and 
wisdom,  matures  them  the  faster  and  earlier  for  a  place  near 
his  throne. 

In  this  light  we  must  regard  the  dealings  of  Providence  with 
the  subject  of  this  memorial. 

Mrs.  Catherine  Hastings  Scudder  was  the  daughter  of  Profes- 
sor Thomas  Hastings,  a  man  well  known  and  honored  through- 
out the  churches  of  our  land  for  his  valuable  efforts  to  elevate 
the  standard  of  church  music,  and  to  place  the  duty  of  praising 
Grod  in  the  sanctuary  upon  its  proper  basis.  She  was  born  at 
Utica,  New  York,  August  22d,  1825,  and  was  but  twenty-three 
years  old  when  her  promising  life  on  India's  missionary  ground 
was  so  suddenly  closed.  But  though  so  young  in  years,  she 
was  mature  in  character.  One  who  from  long  acquaintance 
was  well  qualified  to  speak  of  her,  says  :  "  She  was  a  pleasant, 
sprightly  child  ;  brilliant  in  imagination,  strong  in  her  affec- 
tions, and  energetic  in  her  resolves.  Energy,  indeed,  was  strik- 
ingly characteristic  of  her.  She  could  do  any  thing  that  was 
proper  and  right — any  thing  that  she  undertook.     Acquisi- 


234  MRS.  CATHERINE  H.  SC  UDDER. 

tion  was  easy  to  her ;  accomplishment  of  her  task  a  thing  of 
course." 

"We  are  also  furnished  with  the  following  statement  in  regard 
to  her  early  religious  history  :  "  In  early  childhood  divine  truth 
made  little  impression  upon  her  until  she  beheld  an  open  grave 
and  the  burial  of  an  infant.  The  scene  deeply  affected  her. 
From  that  time  she  became  habitually  thoughtful.  Her  con- 
victions, though  gradual,  were  distinctly  marked.  She  was 
driven  from  refuge  to  refuge,  till  no  alternative  was  left  her  but 
humble  submission  to  God.  At  this  point  hope  sprung  up  with 
such  vigor  and  confidence,  that  her  parents  for  a  while  were 
fearful  of  its  soundness,  and  gave  her  an  intimation  of  their 
feelings.  But  the  consciousness  of  having  given  her  heart  to 
Grod  was  too  strong  for  her  to  entertain  doubts  or  suspicions. 
These,  in  her  case,  were  reserved  for  a  later  period  in  the  divine 
life." 

In  her  tenth  year  she  united  with  the  Presbyterian  church  un- 
der the  care  of  the  late  and  lamented  Dr.  Erskine  Mason.  The 
development  of  her  piety  gave  early  premonitions  of  her  destiny 
as  a  missionary.  She  was  from  the  beginning  of  her  Christian 
life  an  humble  gleaner  for  the  missionary  cause,  manifesting  a 
readiness  to  undergo  any  privation  in  order  to  increase  her  lit- 
tle fund  for  this  object.  When  about  eleven  years  old,  her 
heart  was  deeply  affected  by  the  fact  that  the  missionaries  who 
had  charge  of  the  Ceylon  schools  were  obliged  to  disband  some 
of  them  for  want  of  funds,  and  to  send  back  to  the  darkness  of 
heathenism  many  of  the  native  children ;  and  her  sympathy 
led  to  corresponding  action.  She  prepared  a  constitution  and 
formed  a  family  association  to  sew  for  the  heathen,  and  this  as- 
sociation continued  in  existence  until  she  left  home  for  India, 


MRS.  CATHERINE  H.  SC  UDDER.  935 

and  exchanged  manual  for  mental  and  moral  labor  in  behalf  of 
those  for  whom  she  felt  such  life-long  solicitude. 

Sheltered  beneath  her  loving  parents'  roof,  the  incidents  of 
her  life  which  would  interest  general  readers  were  of  course  few. 
Her  daily  round  of  duties  was  faithfully  and  conscientiously 
performed ;  and  whether  we  view  her  as  daughter,  sister,  friend, 
Sabbath-school  teacher,  or  missionary,  we  see  in  her  much  to 
admire,  and  her  memory  is  precious.  Her  decided  piety  ren- 
dered her  active  in  all  these  relations,  while  her  native  kind- 
liness of  heart  and  true  womanly  nature  never  led  her,  in  her 
zeal,  to  offend  true  taste. 

To  illustrate  the  dealings  of  God  with  her  in  leading  her  to 
engage  in  the  work  of  foreign  missions,  we  quote  again  the  lan- 
guage of  another :  "  For  some  months  previous  to  her  invita- 
tion to  a  missionary  field  she  was  in  much  religious  doubt  and 
perplexity.  During  this  painful  period,  it  was  her  daily  prayer 
that,  if  her  heart  had  indeed  ever  been  renewed,  she  might  dis- 
cover satisfactory  evidence  of  her  acceptance,  and  find  opening 
before  her  some  wider  field  of  usefulness.  Both  of  these  peti- 
tions were  answered  on  the  same  day.  In  the  morning  she 
was  rejoicing  in  G-od,  and  in  the  evening  the  grave  question 
unexpectedly  came  to  her,  whether,  under  any  circumstances, 
she  could  consent  to  become  a  foreign  missionary.  This  was 
a  field  of  labor  which  she  had  never  anticipated  for  herself. 
Was  it  '  possible  that  any  one  could  imagine  her  fit  for  a  mis- 
sionary ?'  She  loved  the  cause,  and  delighted  in  offices  of 
kindness  to  those  who  were  devoted  to  the  holy  work  ;  but  for 
such  a  work  she  imagined  herself  wholly  unworthy.  Could 
she  think  otherwise — could  she  believe  that  her  Savior  would 
accept  her,  she  would  go  without  hesitation.     She  would  go. 


236  MRS.  CATHERINE  H.  SCUDDER. 

though  she  might  die  in  the  effort.  She  would  at  least  leave 
her  testimony  to  the  preciousness  of  the  cause.  An  ocean  grave 
was  as  near  to  heaven  as  was  a  burying-place  at  home. 

"  This  was  the  decision  of  an  hour,  made  in  the  closet  with 
many  tears,  but  adhered  to  unwaveringly  through  life.  It  was 
a  decision  all  unbiased  by  partialities,  which  afterward  ripen- 
ed into  a  well-founded  and  ardent  attachment  for  one  who,  it 
seems,  was  destined  to  become  her  chosen  companion  through 
life.  Nor  was  her  decision  the  result  of  sudden  enthusiasm. 
The  question  to  her  was  one  of  duty,  of  privation,  and  of  self- 
denial,  even  beyond  what  she  afterward  experienced.  But  if 
the  Master  called,  it  was  enough ;  she  would  not  hesitate  ;  no 
matter  where  or  when.     She  was  ready  to  make  any  sacrifice." 

From  the  time  in  which  she  first  contemplated  devoting  her 
life  to  the  missionary  work,  her  character  matured  rapidly, 
and  with  remarkable  power.  Her  friends  all  felt  that  after  her 
decision  was  made,  a  change,  a  holy,  elevating  change,  had 
passed  over  her.  The  high  resolve  to  do  and  suffer  for  her 
Lord,  and  the  renewed  consecration  of  herself  to  Him,  seemed 
to  absorb  many  of  her  natural  characteristics,  and  the  beauty 
of  the  Lord  shone  in  and  around  her.  She  seemed  like  one 
baptized  for  the  work  to  which  she  had  consecrated  her  life. 
The  severe  trial  to  her  loving  heart,  of  resolving  to  sever  the 
strong  ties  which  bound  her  to  home  and  friends,  had  served  to 
bind  that  quivering  heart  more  closely  to  Him  for  whose  sake 
she  endured  all ;  and  she  moved  among  us  with  the  cheerful 
calmness  which  betokened  an  entire  confidence  in  her  Savior, 
who  she  firmly  believed  had  called  her  to  this  work.  And 
while  her  own  face  ever  beamed  with  a  placid  smile,  the  ori- 
gin of  which  was  evidently  not  to  be  found  on  earth,  there  was 


MRS.  CATHERINE  H.  SCUDDER.  O37 

something  in  her  appearance  which,  in  my  own  interviews  with 
her  as  her  pastor,  almost  made  me  feel  as  though  I  were  in  the 
presence  of  one  who  would  soon  be  removed  to  the  upper  sanc- 
tuary. My  emotions  were  those  which  I  experience  when  I 
feel  that  G-od  is  about  to  gather  into  his  own  bosom,  from  the 
flock  intrusted  to  me,  one  of  his  precious  lambs.  Her  early 
death  has  often  reminded  me  of  these  emotions,  felt  invariably 
when  in  her  presence.  Nor  was  I  alone  in  this.  A  friend,  in 
speaking  of  the  intercourse  which  she  had  with  her  just  pre- 
viously to  her  departure  from  these  shores,  remarks,  "  How  like 
a  lamb  did  she  appear  among  us !  Not  like  one  led  to  the 
slaughter ;  ah  no !  but  like  one  reposing  in  the  arms  of  the 
Good  Shepherd."  And  it  would  seem  that  the  same  heavenly 
maturing  went  on  when  she  had  reached  the  field  of  her  labor. 
One  of  her  fellow-laborers,  in  speaking  of  her  lamented  death, 
exclaims,  "  Precious  sister  !  I  see  now  that  it  was  because  she 
had  been  ripening  for  heaven  that  she  was  so  remarkably  chas- 
tened and  lovely  in  all  her  appearance  while  we  were  with  her." 

In  September,  1846,  she  was  married  to  the  Rev.  William  W. 
Scudder,  son  of  the  Rev.  John  Scudder,  M.D,,  who  was  about 
to  return  to  his  native  India  as  a  missionary  in  that  field,  so 
long  the  scene  of  his  honored  father's  labors. 

After  she  had  parted  from  her  family  and  friends,  and  had 
actually  commenced  her  journey  to  her  destined  field  of  labor, 
in  a  letter  addressed  to  her  family  she  lifts  for  a  moment  the 
vail  from  her  heart,  and  we  are  allowed  to  have  a  faint  glimpse 
of  its  beatings  ;  but  brief  and  faint  as  it  is,  it  shows  something 
both  of  the  struggle  and  of  the  source  of  her  consolation.  She 
thus  writes  :  "  But  now  the  hour  is  past,  the  trial  in  its  first 
struggle  is  gone,  and  I  am  all  weakness.     If  Jesus  did  not 


238  MRS.  CATHERINE  H.  SCUDDER. 

'  suffer  little  children,'  I  should  die.  Affection  will  have  its 
gush !  What  a  home  I  have  had  !  A  father,  who  has  stilled 
every  throbbing  pain  and  doubt,  listened  to  every  fear  and 
hope,  soothed  my  sorrows  and  shared  my  joys.  A  mother  !  oh, 
my  heart  will  break  !  Dearest  sister,  you  have  broken  the  seal 
of  rny  heart ;  but  you  are  my  own  yet — all  my  own.  Where 
would  be  the  sacrifice  if  I  did  not  love  you.  AVTiile  I  was  at 
home,  I  kept  a  cold — yes,  a  cold  exterior,  for  I  felt  that  for  your 
sakes  I  must  be  calm.  And  now  it  is  all  over.  My  heart  is 
all  open  ;  but  think  not  that  I  am  sad  or  unhappy.  No,  I  am 
all  thankfulness — all  joy.  I  think  that  I  can  trust  my  all  with 
Grod.  All  my  dear  ones  are  in  his  care,  and  I  will  love  them 
in  Him.  You  are  all  praying  for  me,  or  I  should  not  be  thus 
sustained." 

Before  they  reached  Madras,  the  ship  Flavio,  in  which  they 
sailed,  was  blessed  with  a  revival  of  religion.  We  quote  from 
her  journal :  "  Monday,  March  15th.  Only  285  miles  from 
Madras.  We  had  a  delightful  meeting  this  evening  with  those 
of  the  seamen  who  are  hoping  in  Christ.  There  were  eight 
present.  It  was,  indeed,  refreshing  to  see  so  many  who  trust 
they  have  forsaken  their  sins  and  embraced  the  Savior.  The 
steward  said,  '  When  I  first  came  on  board,  every  thing  annoyed 
and  troubled  me,  and  I  was  all  the  time  unhappy.  But  now 
every  thing  goes  so  smoothly,  and  I  am  so  happy !  I  can  read 
my  Bible,  and  sing  and  pray  all  the  time.  Last  night  I  thought 
I  could  lie  awake  till  midnight,  I  love  my  Savior  so ;  he  is  so 
kind  and  precious  to  me.'  Judge  of  our  delight  at  hearing  such 
language  from  one  who  used  to  be  scolding  and  swearing  all 
the  time." 

Madras  is  without  a  good  harbor.     The  following  extract 


MRS.  CATHERINE  H.  SCUDDER.  239 

exhibits  the  process  of  landing  passengers  :  "After  dinner  we 
said  our  farewells  to  the  sailors,  several  of  whom  we  hope  have 
passed  from  death  to  life,  and  one  by  one  we  were  hoisted  over 
the  side  of  the  vessel  into  the  surf-boat.  As  the  first  mate  was 
lifting  me  over,  he  said,  '  I  trust  we  shall  meet  above.'  It  was 
much  for  him  to  say.  My  heart  leaped  for  joy.  He  has  for  the 
last  few  days  attended  our  meetings,  and  seemed  interested.  At 
last  our  boat  pushed  off,  and  we  waived  our  handkerchiefs  and 
hats  to  the  sailors,  in  answer  to  their  hearty  cheers.  The 
captain  wept  at  parting  with  us.  "We  rolled  and  pitched  about 
upon  the  waves,  so  that  it  seemed  as  though  we  should  be 
dashed  in  pieces.  I  shut  my  eyes  and  tried  to  be  quiet.  In 
about  ten  minutes  a  terrible  thump  at  the  side  of  the  boat 
showed  us  that  we  were  near  shore :  a  moment  after  another 
wave  came,  and  with  a  thundering  noise  swung  us  round  upon 
the  sand,  and  we  were  carried  one  by  one,  in  the  arms  of  the 
natives,  on  to  dry  land." 

Her  arrival  upon  heathen  ground  did  not  change  her  views, 
nor  excite  any  desire  to  retrace  her  steps.  She  was  privileged, 
on  her  first  Sabbath  in  India,  to  unite  with  the  Church  in  com- 
memorating the  death  of  Christ,  and,  in  describing  her  feelings 
on  that  occasion,  she  remarks,  "  When  I  thought  of  America, 
our  Church  and  Sabbath  schools  came  before  me  :  that  dear 
class,  are  they  still  careless  or  thoughtless  ?  Oh  I  I  loved,  and 
thought,  and  prayed  for  you  all,  and  I  trust  that  I  consecrated 
myself  anew  to  the  missionary  work,  and  I  rejoice  that  I  can 
thus  be  privileged.  I  think  that  communion  season  was  one 
of  the  most  delightful  I  ever  attended — there  was  so  much 
peace  and  joy  !  Was  it  not  pleasant  that  my  first  Sabbath 
should  be  thus  spent.     In  the  afternoon  I  attended  Henry  Scud- 


240  MRS.  CATHERINE  H.  SC  UDDER. 

der's  church,  and  as  I  saw  these  little  heathen  girls  kneeling 
on  the  floor,  and  the  middle-aged  and  the  gray-headed  also,  all 
bowed  in  prayer,  while  the  preacher  poured  out  his  whole  soul 
in  the  glowing  accents  of  this  strange  tongue,  I  thought  if  this 
sight  could  he  witnessed  in  America,  there  would  be  no  want  of 
laborers.  I  longed  to  clasp  them  all  in  my  arms  and  make  them 
love  the  Savior."  And  this  devotion  to  her  work,  thus  excited 
even  amid  the  thoughts  of  her  native  home,  never  for  a  single 
moment  cooled.  Her  allotted  sphere  of  labor  was  the  isknd  of 
Ceylon ;  and  there,  as  soon  as  she  could  master  a  few  words  of 
the  language,  she  commenced  her  efforts  to  do  the  people  good, 
and  as  she  progressed  in  ability  to  teach  she  enlarged  her  sphere 
of  influence.  She  was,  says  one  who  knew  her  best,  "  a  de- 
voted missionary  ;  she  loved  her  work  ;  she  had  her  little  girls' 
school ;  she  held  her  weekly  prayer-meetings  with  the  women  ; 
she  often  assembled  the  servants,  and  said  all  she  could  to  urge 
them  to  accept  of  salvation  through  Christ.  Every  opportuni- 
ty was  promptly  embraced  to  lead  those  around  her  to  attend 
to  their  souls'  eternal  interests." 

Referring  to  one  of  these  interviews,  she  says,  "I  tried  to 
be  faithful.  Oh,  it  seemed  as  if  my  tongue  would  break  out 
in  Tamul ;  but  words  would  not  come.  If  I  pray  for  any  thing 
earnestly,  it  is  that  I  may  have  my  faculties  quickened  to 
speak  freely  in  this  language,  and  tell  the  story  of  Jesus'  love 
without  the  freezing  help  of  an  interpreter." 

The  same  unwavering  devotion  characterized  her  through 
her  whole  course ;  and  but  a  few  days  before  her  unexpected 
death,  she  had  formed  her  plans  to  do  more  than  she  had  here- 
tofore done  for  her  Savior.  But  it  was  not  so  to  be.  Grod's 
purposes  were  nearly  attained.     He  had  disciplined  her  spirit, 


MRS.  CATHERINE   H.  SCUDDER 


241 


Teaching  the  Heathen  through  an  Interpreter. 


brought  liis  plant  to  maturity,  and  the  flower  must  bloom  be- 
neath his  own  smile  in  the  brighter  world — the  earthly  stalk 
withered.  She  was  permitted  to  prosecute  her  labors  during 
the  short  period  of  two  years  ;  and  then,  while  on  a  journey, 
returning  from  Madura,  whither  she  had  accompanied  her  hus- 
band on  a  visit  to  his  family,  she  was  suddenly  attacked  with 
cholera  on  the  10th  of  March,  1849,  and  died  on  the  follow- 


242  MRS.  CATHERINE   H.  SC  UDDER. 

ing  day.  Before  her  decease  she  gave  pleasing  evidence  of  the 
power  of  the  Christian  hope  to  sustain  the  soul  in  the  trying 
hour  of  death.  When  informed  of  her  danger,  she  signified 
her  desire  that  prayer  might  be  offered  in  her  behalf.  After 
prayer  she  followed  in  an  audible  voice — thanked  the  Lord 
that  she  had  been  spared  so  long — prayed  for  those  around  her 
— committed  her  infant  to  the  Lord — declared  that  she  re- 
gretted not  that  she  had  given  herself  to  the  cause  of  missions 
— and  added,  say  to  my  parents  that  I  know  that  they  will 
not  regret  having  given  me  to  the  work — I  am  happy.  Jesus 
is  with  me  ;  and  so  she  was  with  Jesus. 

I  close  this  memorial  by  only  adding  the  lament  of  one  of 
her  fellow-laborers.  ""What  a  sweet,  lovely  person  she  was. 
She  seemed  to  care  nothing  for  herself,  but  was  always  en- 
gaged in  doing  something  for  others.  She  made  all  happy 
around  her,  and  her  equal  will  not,  I  fear,  be  soon  found  again. 
The  whole  time  she  was  here,  we  can  truly  say  that  there  was 
nothing  about  her  that  we  would  have  different  from  what  it 
was.  And  oh,  how  we  loved  her !  We  almost  idolized  her, 
and  now  that  she  is  gone,  what,  oh  what  shall  we  do !  Pre- 
cious sister!  your  memory  lies  enshrined  in  our  hearts." 

Who  will  say  that  one  who  calls  forth  from  survivors  such  a 
testimony,  though  her  life  were  so  short,  lived  in  vain. 


PLINY  FISK. 


Fac  Simile  fuom  Letter  to  Mrs.  Cornelius,  dated  Smyrna,  November  -Jotii,  IS'JI. 


/y./^^^C    ^>^.^^^^J>  ^X^-^t 


OUA.^S^ 


:j^^i^^. 


REV.   PLINY   FISK, 

AMERICAN     BOARD     OF     CO.MMISSIONEES     FOR     FOREIG.N"     MISSIONS. 

BY     REV.    AL  VAN     BOND,    D.D., 

Norwich,  Conn. 

X  HE  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch  was  bom  in  iShel- 
burne,  Massachusetts,  June  24th,  1792.  He  was  the  fourth 
son  of  Ebenezer  Fisk.  His  parents  were  virtuous  and  worthy, 
and  trained  up  their  children  in  "the  nurture  and  admonition 
of  the  Lord."  Their  son  Pliny  was  from  early  youth  distin- 
guished by  an  engaging  disposition  and  sobriety.  Though  dis- 
inclined to  youthful  follies,  he  was  not  destitute  of  vivacity 
and  humor.  A  trait  of  character  early  developed,  and  which 
was  prominent  in  subsequent  life,  was  an  indomitable  perse- 
verance.    As   a   child,  he  was  faithful,  dutiful,  aflfectionate. 


246 


REV.  PLINY  FISK. 


Pleasure,  no  less  than  duty,  prompted  him  to  meet  with  readi- 
ness the  wishes  of  his  parents. 

In  his  sixteenth  year  his  attention  was  called  to  the  subject 
of  personal  religion.  His  mind  was  very  strongly  exercised  in 
the  contemplation  of  his  condition  as  a  sinner  having  no  hope. 
His  religious  exercises  were  marked  for  pungency  of  convic- 
tion, thorough  acquaintance  with  the  operations  of  his  own 
heart,  and  uncommon  clearness  and  discrimination  in  his  re- 
ligious exercises  and  views.  When  relief  was  experienced  by 
him,  he  was  able  to  give  with  uncommon  distinctness  "  a  rea- 
son for  the  hope"  he  cherished.  From  a  brief  narrative  of  his 
religious  exercises  at  this  time,  drawn  up  by  himself,  the  fol- 
lowing extracts  will  be  read  with  interest :  "  As  I  was  educated 
in  a  religious  family,  and  heard  much  conversation  about  the 
things  of  religion,  I  often  felt  alarmed  at  the  prospect  of  dying 
in  my  sins.  Such  fears,  however,  though  frequent,  were  of 
short  duration.  Often  did  I  resolve  to  become  a  pious  and 
prayerful  youth  ;  but  these  resolutions  were  forgotten  as  soon 
as  I  renewed  my  intercourse  with  thoughtless  companions. 
Although  convinced  that  delays  are  dangerous,  yet  I  cherished 
the  hope  that  at  some  future  period,  when  others  should  be  seen 
turning  to  the  Lord,  or  when  the  time  of  trial  and  distress 
should  come,  or  when  I  was  laid  upon  a  bed  of  death,  I  should 
make  my  peace  with  G-od.  Destitute  of  a  sense  of  dependence 
on  the  renewing  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  I  was  trusting 
to  works  to  be  performed  at  a  future  day. 

"  On  the  first  day  of  January,  1808,  I  met  an  intimate  as- 
sociate, with  whom  I  had  spent  much  time  in  sin,  and  he  thus 
addressed  me :  '  Remember,  you  have  an  immortal  soul  that 
must  exist  beyond  the  grave,  either  in  happiness  or  woe.'     Till 


REV.  PLiyy  FisK.  247 

then  I  knew  not  of  any  change  in  his  feelings.  His  appeal 
reached  my  heart ;  and  after  much  reluctance,  and  many  hard 
struggles  for  a  few  days,  I  determined  to  forsake  the  vanities 
of  youth,  and  seek  religion.  I  read  much,  prayed  often,  and 
frequently  attended  religious  meetings.  But  I  did  not  feel  as 
I  had  expected  I  should.  I  therefore  began  to  fear  that  my 
expectations  of  being  converted  were  delusive.  This  led  me 
to  be  more  diligent  and  earnest.  I  began  to  think  that  what 
I  had  considered  conviction  was  not,  and  something  more  was 
necessary  to  constitute  a  Christian  than  anxious  feelings  or 
convictions  of  sin.  I  now  realized,  in  some  measure,  the  power 
of  the  doctrines  of  grace  ;  1  found  myself  to  be  '  dead  in  tres- 
passes and  sins  ;'  I  had  no  heart  to  love  Grod.  I  was  vexed 
that  a  just  Grod  possessed  all  power,  and  would  do  his  pleasure 
without  regard  to  the  dictates  of  his  creatures.  During  all 
this  time,  though  wearisome  days  and  nights  were  appointed 
me,  I  continued  in  rebellion  against  God,  and  refused  to  accept 
of  mercy  on  the  terms  of  the  Gospel.  And  I  am  fully  per- 
suaded that  I  should  have  continued  in  my  sins,  rejected  the 
Savior,  and  grieved  away  the  Spirit,  had  not  God  of  his  own 
good  pleasure  applied  to  my  heart  '  the  washing  of  regenera- 
tion and  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost.'  Then,  as  I  hope,  the 
Lord  was  pleased  to  speak  the  word,  and  I  was  healed.  And 
oh,  how  sweet  the  joys  of  believing  in  Jesus  !  I  devote  my- 
self, 0  Lord,  to  thee ;  wilt  thou  accept  the  offering  and  make 
me  useful  ?" 

From  the  time  when  he  united  with  the  Congregational 
Church  in  his  native  town,  he  manifested  a  deep  solicitude  for 
the  salvation  of  sinners  ;  and  he  often  exhorted,  and  affection- 
ately urged  them  to  immediate  repentance.     His  love  for  the 


248  REV.  PLINY  FISK. 

service  of  his  Divine  Master  was  so  strong  that  he  very  soon 
determined  on  devoting  himself  to  the  work  of  the  ministry. 
His  parents  acceded  to  his  wishes,  and  promised  such  assist- 
ance as  it  might  be  in  their  power  to  render.  He  pursued  his 
preparatory  studies  with  the  Rev.  Moses  Hallock,  of  Plainfieid, 
Massachusetts,  and  entered  Middlebury  College  in  the  year 
1811.  At  that  early  period,  he  commenced  a  serious  examina- 
tion of  the  question  of  personal  duty  respecting  the  claims  of 
the  missionary  cause.  He  was  not  long  in  deciding  to  devote 
himself  to  the  foreign  field.  With  steady  reference  to  this 
work, he  carefully  disciplined  his  spirit,  his  mind,  and  his  body. 
Possessed  as  he  was  of  an  elevated  piety,  mental  vigor,  un- 
yielding fortitude,  and  physical  energy,  his  early  decision  to 
become  a  foreign  missionary  may  be  regarded  as  the  result  of 
sound  judgment  and  enlightened  zeal.  To  this  early  decision 
of  purpose  respecting  his  course  he  was,  under  God,  indebted 
for  no  small  share  of  the  singular  excellences  which  belonged 
to  his  missionary  character.  Having  resolved  on  such  conse- 
cration of  himself,  his  purpose  never  wavered.  He  counted  the 
cost,  and  gloried  in  the  prospect  of  such  a  sacred  vocation. 

His  collegiate  life  furnishes  few  incidents  of  very  special  in- 
terest. He  was  not  distinguished  as  a  scholar,  though  he  pos- 
sessed a  vigorous  intellect,  capable  of  sound  and  solid  culture. 
His  ambition  in  college  was  to  be  good  rather  than  great. 
Very  few  at  his  age  had  made  equal  attainments  in  piety.  A 
gentleman,  then  connected  with  the  faculty  of  the  college,  re- 
marked that  he  brought  with  him  a  religious  character  of  in- 
estimable value.  "  His  piety  was  of  no  ordinary  stamp.  It 
was  strikingly  operative.  It  never  slumbered  nor  slept.  It 
was  not  like  a  flame  that  dazzled  for  a  moment,  and  then  flick- 


REV.  PLINY  FISK.  249 

ered  and  died  away.  Like  the  vestal  fire,  it  was  always  alive, 
always  bright.  In  forwarding  his  Master's  work  he  was  ever 
active  and  energetic."  The  influence  he  exerted  on  his  fellow- 
students  was  most  salutary.  The  pious  were  animated,  and 
stimulated  to  duty  by  his  example.  Sinners  listened  respect- 
fully to  his  pathetic  admonitions,  for  they  believed  "  that  he 
was  honest  in  the  sacred  cause."  The  motive  that  urged  him 
onward  in  his  course,  and  which  grew  stronger  and  stronger, 
was  love  for  souls. 

One  of  his  class-mates  has  said  of  him,  that  "  as  a  Christian, 
he  was  distinguished  for  decision  and  zeal,  and  for  a  pj-ompti- 
tude  in  seizing  opportunities  for  promoting  the  spiritual  inter- 
ests of  others.  His  deportment  was  uniformly  amiable,  and  it 
was  manifest  that  the  love  of  Grod  had,  in  no  ordinary  degree, 
been  shed  abroad  in  his  heart."  By  his  Christian  example  and 
pious  exhortations  he  made  a  deep  impression  on  the  minds  of 
many,  an  impression  that  some  will  never  forget.  Such  an 
example  of  judicious  Christian  zeal  and  steadfast  devotion  is 
worthy  the  attention  of  every  pious  student  in  college.  It 
shows  how  much  good  may  be  done  while  on  the  way  to  a 
wider  field  of  usefulness. 

While  in  college,  his  energy  was  put  to  the  test,  and  his  faith 
occasionally  tried,  by  pecuniary  embarrassment.  Education 
societies  at  that  time  had  no  existence.  His  main  reliance 
was  on  his  own  exertions  and  a  rational  trust  in  Providence. 
By  rigid  economy  and  personal  services,  and  some  slight  aid 
from  friends,  he  was  enabled  to  hold  on  his  way  and  accom- 
plish his  object. 

In  the  year  1815,  Mr.  Fisk  became  connected  with  the  The- 
ological Seminary  at  Andover,  Massachusetts.     The  studies, 


250  ^^^   PLINY  FISK 

scenes,  employments,  and  society,  to  which  he  was  here  intro- 
duced, were  peculiarly  congenial  to  his  feelings,  a:nd  roused  his 
spirit  to  a  high  activity.  Here  he  found  elements  to  his  taste 
— ample  materials  for  the  feast  of  the  soul,  though  he  had  been 
but  moderately  charmed  with  the  fruits  of  classic  ground. 

As  it  respects  his  intellectual  features,  as  developed  at  this 
time,  nothing  specially  brilliant  or  striking  was  noticed.  His 
mind  was  pre-eminently  practical.  There  was  little  of  the  im- 
aginative or  the  poetic  in  his  mental  constitution.  "With  sound- 
ness of  judgment  he  united  quickness  of  perception,  acute  dis- 
crimination, and  remarkable  powers  of  analysis.  His  composi- 
tions, though  destitute  of  the  graces  of  aesthetic  culture,  were 
marked  for  perspicuity,  plainness,  and  point.  In  respect  to 
theological  attainments,no  more  can  be  said  of  him  than  is  true 
of  many  others,  who  in  subsequent  life  move  in  an  humble 
sphere  of  labor. 

It  was  in  the  art  of  holy  living,  and  in  devising  and  executing 
plans  of  usefulness,  that  Mr.  Fisk  excelled.  Here  we  see  him 
in  his  strength,  and  here  we  discover  the  secret  of  that  in- 
fluence which  he  exerted  over  those  with  whom  he  was  con- 
versant, and  afterward  in  the  world.  He  was  pre-eminently  a 
man  of  prayer.  He  communed  much  with  Grod  and  with  his 
own  heart.  As  a  Christian  brother,  all  who  knew  him  could 
testify  to  the  value  of  his  fraternal  services  and  faithfulness. 
He  loved  Christians  with  a  pure  heart  fervently.  In  their 
spiritual  sorrows  he  sympathized,  and  exerted  himself  to  com- 
fort and  strengthen  them.  In  their  afflictions  they  were  sure 
of  his  fraternal  counsels  and  prayers.  When  he  saw  them  ex- 
posed to  temptation,  he  whispered  a  kind  warning.  He  could 
receive  reproof  as  well  as  administer  it.     An  intimate  friend 


REV.  PLINY  FISK.  2o\. 

relates  this  anecdote  respecting  him :  "Once,  when  sitting  in 
my  room  with  the  door  open,  I  heard  him,  as  he  came  from 
the  lecture-room,  talking  quite  earnestly,  and  saying,  'I  was 

provoked  with  Brother  ,  because  he  continued  to  speak 

after  the  professor  had  given  his  opinion.'  I  called  to  him  by 
name  ;  he  replied,  '  What  do  you  want?'  I  said,  '  The  sun  will 
go  down  by-and-by.'  In  about  fifteen  minutes  he  came  to  my 
room  with  an  honest  and  affectionate  smile,  took  me  by  the 
hand,  and  said,  '  I  am  ready  now  to  have  the  sun  go  down.'" 

One  of  the  professors  remarked  concerning  him  as  follows  : 
"He  was  very  ardent  in  the  pursuit  of  knowledge,  and  in  his 
religious  duties.  But  his  ardor  was  tempered  with  great  so- 
briety and  judgment.  To  every  subject  which  came  under 
consideration  he  brought  strong  excitement  and  vigorous  effort 
of  mind.  He  made  visible  advances  in  piety  from  year  to 
year,  and  felt  it  to  be  indispensable  to  have  his  growth  in 
grace  no  less  evident  than  his  progress  in  knowledge." 

It  has  been  already  intimated,  that  his  early  purpose  was  to 
devote  himself  to  the  work  of  Foreign  Missions,  This  object 
he  contemplated  with  growing  interest,  and  he  labored  earnest- 
ly to  awaken  in  his  fellow-students  a  strong  sympathy  with 
this  cause.  That  he  might  not  be  mistaken  as  to  the  correct- 
ness of  his  decision  to  devote  himself  to  the  vocation  of  a  for- 
eign missionary,  he  reviewed  the  question  of  duty  during  the 
second  year  of  his  theological  course,  and  became  fully  con- 
firmed in  his  purpose.  The  manner  in  which  he  conducted 
his  examination  of  the  question  is  worthy  of  a  special  notice. 
In  his  private  diary  we  find  the  following  entry:  "Desirous 
of  ascertaining  my  duty  on  this  subject,  I  set  apart  this  day 
for  fasting,  prayer,  and  inquiry.     After  imploring  the  Divine 


252  REV.  PLINY  FISK. 

assistance  in  the  important  work  of  the  day,  I  proposed  to 
meditate,  read,  pray,  and  write  down  my  views.  In  answer 
to  the  question,  W7iat  is  my  duty  respecting  missions  ?  I  am 
convinced  that  I  ought  to  pray  much ;  to  acquire  and  com- 
municate information  respecting  missions ;  to  do  what  I  can 
to  excite  others  to  suitable  views,  feelings,  and  efforts  on  this 
subject ;  to  inquire  carefully  in  what  part  of  the  vineyard  I 
ought  to  labor.  In  the  summer  of  1810,  after  several  months 
of  careful  inquiry,  I  felt  convinced  that,  if  my  life  and  health 
should  be  spared,  it  would  probably  be  my  duty  to  become  a 
missionary  to  the  heathen. 

"  But  I  was  young,  only  eighteen,  when  I  first  resolved  on 
being  a  missionary.  Much  that  is  unholy  has  been  mixed 
with  my  feelings  on  this  subject.  Many  unholy  motives  may 
induce  a  man  to  desire  this  work.  I  wish,  therefore,  to  re- 
examine all  my  past  resolutions  and  plans,  and  inquire  anew 
what  I  ought  to  do.  I  take  it  for  granted  that  some  young 
men,  who  are  now  entering  the  ministry,  ought  to  become  mis- 
sionaries. Am  I  one  of  the  number?  In  pursuing  the  in- 
quiry, I  desire  to  have  no  regard  to  private  interest,  personal 
convenience,  suffering,  reputation,  natural  attachments,  advice 
or  wishes  of  friends,  any  further  than  it  may  conduce  to  the 
good  of  souls.  An  inquiry  on  this  subject  may  properly  re- 
spect one's  age,  health,  talents,  habits,  feelings,  connections  in 
life,  reputation,  the  leadings  of  Providence,  and  the  teachings 
of  the  Holy  Spirit."  During  several  months  he  kept  the  ques- 
tion of  duty  open,  and  carefully  considered  every  item  enu- 
merated in  the  last  paragraph.  During  the  progress  of  this 
examination,  he  met  with  some  things  which  embarrassed  and 
perplexed  him.     Having  weighed  candidly  and  carefully  every 


REV.  PLINY  FISK  253 

consideration  that  had  a  bearing  on  the  question,  he  became 
confirmed  in  the  correctness  of  his  original  conclusion.  Imme- 
diately he  addressed  a  communication  to  the  American  Board 
of  Missions,  offering  himself  to  be  employed  under  their  direc- 
tion in  the  foreign  field. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Prudential  Committee  of  the  American 
Board,  on  the  23d  of  September,  1818,  the  measure  was  adopt- 
ed to  establish  a  mission  in  Palestine.  This  new  and  then  un- 
explored field  had  for  some  time  occupied  the  attention  of  the 
committee,  and  it  awakened  deep  interest  in  the  churches. 
Messrs.  Pliny  Fisk  and  Levi  Parsons  were,  at  the  same  meet- 
ing, appointed  to  undertake  the  enterprise  of  rekindling  the 
light  of  pure  Christianity  in  that  land  whence  it  first  shone 
upon  the  darkness  of  the  world,  but  which  for  centuries  had 
been  covered  with  the  shadow  of  death,  under  Mohammedan 
delusion  and  the  corruptions  of  Christianity. 

After  being  occupied  a  year  on  an  agency  in  the  service  of 
the  Board,  Mr.  Fisk,  with  his  estimable  colleague,  sailed  from 
Boston  November  3d,  1819,  in  a  ship  bound  for  Smyrna,  at 
which  city  they  arrived  on  the  15th  of  January,  1820.  There 
they  met  with  a  cordial  reception  from  a  few  Christian  people, 
to  whom  they  presented  letters  ;  and,  after  forming  plans  of  op- 
eration, they  went  to  Scio,  for  the  purpose  of  prosecuting  the 
study  of  the  languages  necessary  to  enable  them  to  communi- 
cate with  the  people  among  whom  they  expected  to  labor.  On 
returning  to  Smyrna,  they  visited  the  "  Seven  Churches."  Soon 
their  efforts  were  embarrassed  by  the  Grreek  Revolution,  some 
of  the  scenes  and  barbarities  of  which  fell  under  their  observa- 
tion. On  account  of  the  health  of  Mr.  Parsons,  it  was  recom- 
mended to  them  to  visit  Egypt.     They  arrived  at  Alexandria 


254  REV.  PLIXY  FISK. 

in  January,  1822.  The  health  of  Mr.  Parsons  continued  to 
fail,  and  in  a  few  weeks  he  died,  leaving  his  bereaved  friend 
alone  in  that  land  of  darkness  and  sin. 

While  in  Egypt,  he  ascended  the  Nile,  visited  the  Tombs  and 
Pyramids,  and  directed  his  missionary  labors  to  the  Jewish 
population.  On  learning  that  Mr.  Temple  had  arrived  at  Mal- 
ta, he  proceeded  to  that  island,  and  was  for  a  season  occupied 
in  exploring  the  moral  desolations  which  there  prevailed.  On 
the  arrival  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  King  at  that  place,  who  came  to  join 
him  in  his  missionary  work,  he  returned  to  Egypt,  accompa- 
nied by  this  new  fellow-laborer.  Thence  they  proceeded,  in 
connection  with  a  caravan,  across  the  desert  to  Judea,  having 
in  view  a  visit  to  Jerusalem,  and  other  interesting  localities  in 
the  Holy  Land.  Having  surveyed  the  objects  of  interest  in 
and  around  Jerusalem,  he  says,  "  I  know  not  how  to  describe 
my  feelings  since  I  have  been  here.  I  have  experienced  sud- 
den alternations  of  fear  and  hope,  despondency  and  confidence, 
timidity  and  courage.  I  can  not  move  my  eye  without  seeing 
awful  evidence  that  the  curse  of  Grod  rests  on  Jerusalem. 
Turkish  avarice  and  despotism,  Jewish  unbelief  and  hardness 
of  heart,  the  superstition  and  idolatry  of  nominal  Christians — 
for  these  things  I  weep.  The  associations  connected  with  these 
places  affect  me  more  deeply  than  I  had  anticipated.  My  win- 
dow opens  toward  the  east,  and  shows  me  at  once  the  Church 
of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  the  mosque  on  Mount  Moriah,  and 
Mount  Olivet.  I  look  at  them  again  and  again  with  new  emo- 
tions of  wonder,  gratitude,  and  grief.  0  !  when  will  the  Sav- 
ior be  truly  adored  on  the  mount  where  he  suffered  ?  May 
the  Lord  hasten  the  time  !" 

It  was   the  design  of  Mr.  Fisk  to  extend  his  researches 


REV.  PLiyy  FISK.  255 

through  the  more  interesting  parts  of  Syria,  and  thus  "  spy  out 
the  land"  before  becoming  permanently  located.  The  inform- 
ation thus  acquired  would  be  of  important  use  to  succeeding 
missionaries,  besides  the  advantages  to  himself.  It  was  thought 
advisable,  however,  to  spend  the  hot  season  on  Mount  Lebanon. 
He  accordingly  left  in  the  month  of  June  for  that  destination. 
He  reached  Beirut  in  July,  and  proceeded  thence  to  the  mount- 
ains. With  the  sagacity  for  which  he-  was  distinguished,  he 
marked  Beirut  as  a  promising  location  for  a  permanent  mis- 
sion. In  the  autumn  he  returned  to  Jerusalem,  and,  in  accord- 
ance with  his  original  plan,  prosecuted  his  researches  in  Syria 
for  about  five  months.  As  the  way  did  not  seem  to  be  open 
for  the  establishment  of  a  mission  at  Jerusalem  at  that  time, 
he  returned  to  Beirut,  where  a  mission  had  been  established 
by  the  Rev.  Messrs.  William  Goodell  and  Isaac  Bird — the  first 
in  Syria.  They  had  reached  the  place  some  time  before  Mr. 
Fisk  returned.  His  spirit  was  greatly  refreshed  on  meeting 
these  brethren  and  their  wives  in  this  new  and  untried  field, 
where  they  expected  to  pursue  together  their  labors  of  love  in 
the  patience  of  hope  for  the  salvation  of  the  bigoted  and  de- 
graded people  around  them. 

Speaking  of  this  joyful  meeting,  he  remarks,  "We  were 
brought  together  just  when,  worn  down  by  studies,  sickness, 
and  journeys,  I  most  needed  repose  and  relaxation  in  their  so- 
ciety. We  have  joined  as  one  in  praising  Grod  for  bringing  us 
to  this  land.  We  have  consulted  freely  on  the  measures  to  be 
adopted  and  the  difficulties  to  be  encountered.  We  have 
spent  two  days  in  fasting  and  prayer,  and  once  have  we  re- 
newed our  vows  at  the  table  of  the  Lord.  If,  with  all  the  im- 
perfections that  attend  our  intercourse  here.  Christian  society 


256  REV.  PLINY  FISK 

is  still  so  cheering  and  so  sweet,  what  will  be  the  joys  of  that 
day  when  all  the  ransomed  of  the  Lord  shall  meet,  each  per- 
fect in  the  image  of  the  Savior  !" 

After  having  enjoyed  a  few  weeks  of  rest  with  the  mission 
family  at  Beirut,  Mr.  Fisk,  in  company  with  Dr.  King,  visited 
the  principal  cities  in  the  northern  part  of  Syria.  On  the  26th 
of  June,  1824,  they  reached  Damascus,  where  they  remained 
several  weeks  for  the  purpose  of  studying  Arabic,  in  which 
language  that  city  furnished  accomplished  teachers.  In  com- 
pany with  his  fellow-laborer,  he  joined  a  caravan,  and  proceed- 
ed thence  to  Aleppo.  On  their  way,  they  encountered  perils 
from  robbers,  and  perils  in  the  wilderness,  from  hot  winds  and 
sand  storms.  At  Aleppo  the  study  of  Arabic  was  resumed,  and 
such  missionary  labors  were  performed  as  were  practicable  in 
a  place  where  Mussulman  fanaticism  was  so  jealous  and 
watchful.  Under  the  protection  of  the  British  consul,  preach- 
ing was  maintained  every  Sabbath.  Frequent  opportunities 
were  enjoyed  for  discussing  with  Arabs  religious  subjects. 
Proceeding  on  his  journey,  Mr.  Fisk  visited  Antioch,  where  the 
disciples  were  first  called  Christians.  Here  he  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  surveying  the  ruins  of  the  terrible  earthquake  that 
occurred  in  the  year  1822.  A  few  Christians  were  found  in 
this  ancient  city,  once  "the  eye  of  the  Eastern  Churches," 
who  were  driven  to  the  forlorn  extremity  of  using  a  little 
grotto  in  the  side  of  a  mountain  as  a  place  of  worship.  After 
visiting  Tripoli,  he  returned  to  Beirut,  having  been  absent 
nearly  five  months.  During  much  of  this  time  he  had  been 
occupied  in  arduous  and  dangerous  travels.  He  found,  where- 
ever  he  went,  that  principalities,  and  powers,  and  spiritual 
wickedness  in  high  places  were  leagued  to  oppose  missionary 


REV.  PLIJS'Y  FISK.  257 

operations.  But  he  expressed  unwavering  confidence  that, 
though  the  conflict  might  be  sharp  and  protracted,  victory  was 
sure. 

Referring  to  the  bigotry  and  moral  blindness  of  the  people 
with  whom  he  had  intercourse,  he  remarks  :  "In  whatever 
way  I  come  in  contact  with  the  minds  of  men  in  this  coun- 
try, it  seems  like  walking  among  the  broken  walls  and  fallen 
columns  of  its  ancient  cities.  All  is  ruin,  confusion,  and  deso- 
lation. It  is  an  open  valley,  full  of  bones ;  they  are  many, 
and  lo !  they  are  very  dry.  '  Can  these  bones  live  V  Yes, 
when  the  Spirit  of  God  shall  breathe  upon  them,  they  shall 
live,  and  stand  up  an  exceeding  great  army."  The  unsettled 
state  of  the  country  was  such,  that  it  was  not  judged  advisa- 
ble to  attempt,  at  that  time,  a  permanent  mission  in  Jerusalem. 
Mr.  Fisk  accordingly  abandoned  this  favorite  measure,  and  in 
May,  1825,  he  took  up  his  residence  at  Beirut  in  connection 
with  the  mission  there  established.  His  health  had  been  im- 
paired by  his  unmitigated  labors,  travels,  and  exposures,  and 
it  was  thought  advisable  for  him  to  enjoy  a  respite  from  his 
work,  with  a  view  to  the  improvement  of  his  impaired  strength 
and  health.  He  had  been  in  the  field  five  years ;  and,  by  his 
extended  observations  and  knowledge  of  languages,  could  ren- 
der important  aid  to  his  missionary  brethren,  in  consulting 
with  them  about  future  labors.  At  this  time  he  conducted 
an  extensive  correspondence  with  Christians  and  ministers,  in 
which  he  urged  with  characteristic  zeal  the  claims  of  the  mis- 
sionary work. 

In  his  intercourse  with  the  sects  of  Eastern  Christians  he  dis- 
covered, as  he  thought,  a  little  light,  though  buried  beneath 
the  rubbish  of  forms  and  superstition ;  and  in  view  of  it,  he  ex- 

R 


258  REV.  PLINY  FISK. 

pressed  the  hope  of  what  has  since  been  realized  as  true.  He 
says  :  "  I  hope  there  are  some  true  Christians  among  the  igno- 
rant and  superstitious  members  of  the  Oriental  churches  ;  but 
it  is  very  difficult  to  find  thera.  The  increase  of  light  may 
bring  forward  some  who  will  afford  important  aid  in  rekindling 
the  light  of  true  Christianity  where  it  has  become  almost  ex- 
tinct. But  our  dependence  must  be  on  the  Holy  Spirit.  To 
procure  this,  prayer  and  preaching  are,  I  believe,  the  principal 
means." 

The  autumn  of  October,  1825,  was  an  unusually  sickly  sea- 
son in  Beirut  and  vicinity.  Many  Europeans  died  of  the  pre- 
vailing fever.  Early  in  this  month  Mr.  Fisk  was  attacked  with 
the  malady,  and  on  Sabbath  morning,  the  23d  day  of  the  same 
month,  he  finished  his  course.  During  his  sickness  he  was 
able  to  converse  at  times  with  those  around  him,  and  to  dic- 
tate a  few  short  letters  to  his  friends.  His  conversation  showed 
that  his  whole  heart  was  in  heaven,  and  that  he  was  prepared 
for  his  removal  to  that  world  of  rest. 

His  disease  soon  assumed  a  type  which  made  it  evident  that 
he  could  not  long  continue.  He  was  informed  of  his  situation, 
and  the  inquiry  was  proposed,  whether  he  had  any  particular 
messages  to  leave  for  his  friends — brothers,  sisters,  father.  At 
the  word  father  he  was  sensibly  affected.  "  Oh,  Brother  Grood- 
ell,"  said  he,  "my  father  —  my  father"  (he  paused).  "But 
he'll  bear  it.  He  knows  what  afHictions  are.  When  he  hears 
the  news,  the  tears  will  roll  down  his  furrowed  cheeks  ;  but 
he'll  not  complain.  He  knows  where  to  look  for  comfort." 
Here  he  stopped,  saying  he  hoped  to  renew  the  subject  when 
his  thoughts  were  collected.  His  missionary  brethren,  as  they 
stood  by  his  bedside,  asked  him  if  he  could  not  give  them  some 


REV.  PLIXY   flSK.  259 

directions  how  to  live  and  labor  in  the  mission.  "  Yes,"  said 
he,  "  'tis  done  in  a  few  words  ;  live  near  to  God,  dwell  in  love, 
and  wear  out  in  the  service  of  Christ."  His  words  were  few 
during  his  sickness  ;  but  they  were  such  as  indicated  the  same 
spirit  of  love,  faith,  and  entire  self-consecration  to  Christ  and 
his  cause  that  had,  with  singular  uniformity  and  consistency, 
been  manifested  in  life. 

A  day  or  two  before  his  death  he  dictated  the  following  brief 
letter  to  his  father  : 

"  My  beloved  aged  Father, — I  compose  a  few  lines  for  you 
upon  a  sick,  probably  a  dying  bed.  When  you  gave  me  up 
for  this  mission,  you  gave  me  up  for  life  and  death.  You  know 
to  whom  to  look  for  consolation  and  support.  The  same  Grod 
who  has  comforted  you  so  many  years  under  so  many  troubles 
will  comfort  you  under  this.  You  know  his  consolations  are 
neither  few  nor  small.  I  leave  these  lines  as  a  pledge  to  you, 
and  my  brothers  and  sisters,  my  nephews  and  nieces,  that  I 
love  you  all  most  dearly,  though  so  long  separated  from  you. 
[  hope  all,  or  nearly  all  our  number,  have  been  enabled  to  give 
themselves  to  Christ,  and  that  we  shall  meet  with  our  departed 
mother  in  heaven."  Here  some  interruption  occurred,  and  the 
subject  was  not  resumed. 

Thus,  at  the  age  of  thirty-three  years,  was  this  eminent  mis- 
sionary suddenly  dismissed  from  his  labors,  and  called  home  to 
his  reward.  Having  commenced  the  great  work  of  publishing 
the  Gospel  in  the  land  where  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation  were 
first  proclaimed — having  sounded  from  the  hill  of  Zion  the 
trumpet-note  of  preparation  to  awaken  the  Church  to  the  glo- 
rious enterprise  in  which  he  had  led  the  way,  he  retired,  amid 
the  commotion  which  his  own  efforts  had  excited,  until  the  in- 


2(JQ  REV.  PLINY  FlUK 

dignation  were  overpast.  But  his  work  was  done.  He  had 
proved  himself  a  devoted  and  faithful  laborer,  "  always  abound- 
ing in  the  work  of  the  Lord  ;"  and  his  God,  having  other  serv- 
ices for  him,  permitted  him  here  to  rest  from  his  labors  and 
enter  into  peace.  "  Blessed  is  that  servant  whom  his  Lord, 
when  he  cometh,  shall  find  so  doing." 


LEVI  PARSONS 


Fac  Simile  fkom  Letter  to  Rev.  Elias  Cornelius,  dated  Scio,  Greece,  Septembek 

6iH,  lb2(l. 

AjlJU^^, Ji>/c^r>t^^  cM^^f/-^ .       ^^^C' 


REV.  LEVI    PARSONS, 

AMERICAN    B  O  A  K  D    01'    COMMISSIONERS    FOR    FOREIGN    MISSIONS. 

BY     REV.   MILES    P.    SQUIER,   D.D., 
Beloit,  Wisconsin. 

Levi  parsons,  the  second  son  of  Rev.  Justin  and  Mrs. 
Electa  Parsons,  was  born  in  Goshen,  Massachusetts,  July  18th, 
1792.  He  was  hopefully  converted,  and  united  with  the  Church 
in  the  spring  of  1808.     His  classical  course  was  prosecuted  ;it 


264 


REV.  LEVI   PARSONS. 


Middlebury  College,  Vermont ;  his  theological,  at  Andover. 
Massachusetts.  It  was  not  till  he  entered  college  that  I  made 
his  acquaintance.  He  had  a  pleasant,  readable  countenance, 
was  frank  and  conciliating  in  his  manners,  with  a  stature  a  lit- 
tle below  medium  size,  and  a  frame  rather  slight.  In  his  as- 
pect and  demeanor,  he  reminded  you  more  of  Martyn  than 
any  other  of  our  modern  missionaries.  He  was  always  respect- 
able as  a  scholar,  but  not  distinguished.  He  was  more  like  the 
good  Samaritan  than  the  Apostle  Paul.  If  you  classed  him 
with  the  eleven  disciples,  it  would  be  with  John  rather  than 
Peter.  You  would  be  sure  to  find  him  at  the  prayer-meeting  ; 
to  know  who  of  his  associates  were  pious,  and  to  feel  the  first 
pulse  of  the  revival,  when  the  season  of  refreshing  came  from 
the  presence  of  the  Lord. 

The  journal  of  Mr.  Parsons  for  April  5th,  1812,  contains  the 
first  record  of  his  thoughts  in  respect  to  a  foreign  mission  :  "I 
frequently  think,"  he  writes,  "  of  spending  my  life  as  a  mis- 
sionary to  the  heathen.  This  consideration  sometimes  fills  me 
with  uncommon  zeal.  I  hope  G-od  will  cause  me  to  know  his 
will,  make  me  willing  to  go  wherever  he  pleases,  prepare  me 
to  fight  his  battles,  and  afterward  receive  me  to  his  kingdom." 

A  further  notice  occurs  May  17th,  1814 :  "  Read  this  day 
the  memoirs  of  Harriet  Newell.  Her  love  for  the  souls  of  the 
heathen  enabled  her  to  triumph  even  in  prospect  of  death.  She 
left  her  beloved  country  and  friends,  and  received  even  in  this 
life,  by  divine  consolation,  an  hundred  fold  ;  and  then  entered 
joyfully  upon  her  recompense  of  reward.  This  is  the  portion 
of  those  '  whom  the  King  delighteth  to  honor.'  The  subject  of 
Foreign  Missions  has  of  late  excited  considerable  solicitude  in 
my  mind.     It  has  been  a  subject  of  prayer.     I  think  I  can  say. 


REV.  LEVI  PARSONS.  265 

if  it  be  the  will  of  God,  I  will  go  to  Asia.  Where  duty  will 
direct,  I  know  not.  My  own  will  I  dare  not  Consult.  Divine 
Redeemer,  send  me  where  I  can  best  promote  thy  glory.  Not 
my  will,  but  thine  be  done." 

At  his  college  graduation  in  August,  1814,  he  pronounced  a 
eulogy  on  that  distinguished  Scotch  Reformer,  John  Knox,  and 
entered  upon  his  theological  course  at  Andover  in  October  fol- 
lowing. His  journal,  which,  in  the  retirement  of  study,  must 
be  the  main  inlet  to  his  soul,  has  this  entry  for  March  3d,  the 
day  of  the  semi-annual  fast  of  the  Theological  Seminary : 
"  There  appears  to  prevail  a  general  spirit  of  prayer  in  this  in- 
stitution. Never  was  I  more  sensible  of  the  divine  presence, 
and,  I  think,  I  never  enjoyed  more  intimate  communion  with 
my  Savior.  Especially  in  the  closet,  the  character  of  G-od  was 
revealed  in  an  unusual  degree.  I  could  have  spent  an  eter- 
nity in  such  a  state.  It  was  heavenly  joy.  As  Jesus  drew 
near,  my  soul  went  out  after  him.  It  is  the  voice  of  my  be- 
loved, saying,  '  Open  to  me,  my  sister,  my  love.'  My  soul  fail- 
ed when  he  spake.  In  the  evening,  had  some  pleasing  views 
of  the  Savior,  his  greatness,  his  loveliness,  his  compassion.  Oh 
for  the  privilege  of  doing  a  little  for  this  Jesus  !  Or  if  he  bid, 
I  could  die  for  him  ;  but  if  he  leave  me,  of  all  beings  I  should 
be  the  most  miserable." 

Under  date  of  April  6th,  1815,  he  says,  "I  would  not  lift  my 
hand  to  choose  where  I  must  labor.  I  will  let  Jesus  choose 
for  me.  If  he  go  with  me,  I  can  go  into  a  dungeon,  and  spend 
my  life  in  irons.  His  presence  among  the  degraded  Hottentots 
would  more  delight  me  than  a  throne.  I  ask  not  for  worldly 
pleasures,  for  wreaths  of  honor,  for  desks  of  popularity  ;  I  ask 
for  the  continued  presence  of  Jesus — I  ask  no  more." 


266  REV.  LEVI  PARSOyS. 

His  habits  of  faithful  self-examination  are  seen  by  reference 
to  his  diary  for  August,  1816  :  "  Set  apart  this  day,  with  a 
number  of  my  brethren  in  the  Seminary,  for  private  fasting  and 
prayer,  particularly  to  deplore  the  present  declension  of  piety. 
As  for  myself,  I  find  much  occasion  for  repentance  and  humil- 
iation. Oh  for  the  piety  and  devotion  of  those  who  are  resting 
from  their  toils,  and  whose  memory  is  blessed  !  Oh  for  the 
spirit  of  Baxter  and  of  Brainerd — for  that  ardor  of  piety,  that 
tenderness  of  soul,  that  deadness  to  the  world,  that  concern  for 
sinners,  which  were  so  conspicuously  manifested  in  their  daily 
conversation  !  Never,  never  may  I  cease  to  struggle  and  fight, 
till  every  sin  is  subdued.  Take  from  me,  0  my  Redeemer ! 
every  thing  that  impedes  my  progress  in  the  divine  life,  and 
bring  me  to  thyself,  the  source  of  all  consolation.  Let  me  never 
grieve  thy  children — never  bring  a  reproach  upon  thy  cause." 

Mr.  Parsons  was  licensed  to  preach  the  G-ospel  in  April,  1817, 
by  the  Salem  Association,  and  ordained  to  the  ministry  for  the 
missionary  work,  at  Boston,  in  August  following.  A  little  after 
this  latter  event,  he  wrote  to  his  parents,  "  Before  the  recep- 
tion of  this  letter  you  will  learn  the  interesting  events  of  last 
Wednesday.  It  was  a  day  which  I  shall  ever  remember  with  pe- 
culiar pleasure,  as  the  day  of  my  public  dedication  to  Grod  and 
to  the  Church.  I  was  not  sensible  of  the  least  reserve.  I 
could  subscribe  with  my  hand  to  be  forever  the  Lord's,  to  be 
sent  ani/  where,  to  do  any  thing,  to  suffer  any  affliciion,  to 
endure  any  hardship,  to  live  and  die  a  missionary.  1  could 
lay  my  hand  on  my  heart  and  say,  '  Lord,  send  me  to  the  ends 
of  the  earth  ;  send  me  to  the  rough  and  uncivilized  regions  of 
Africa ;  send  me  to  prison,  to  tortures,  to  death,  if  it  be  thy 
will  and  for  the  promotion  of  thy  glory.'     God  has  truly  veri- 


REV.  LEVI  PARSONS.  267 

fied  his  promise,  that  his  grace  shall  bo  equal  to  the  day.  And 
I  have  strong  confidence  that  he  will  7iever  leave  me,  never 
forsake  me.  Though  my  way  be  on  the  great  deep,  he  who 
said  to  the  troubled  waves,  '  Peace,  be  still !'  will  be  ever  by 
my  side.  Though  I  linger  in  a  prison,  or  expire  at  the  stake, 
I  will  fear  no  evil,  '  for  thou.  Lord,  art  with  me.'  Never  was  I 
more  deeply  sensible  of  my  entire  weakness,  and  utter  unwor- 
thiness  of  Divine  favor.  If  I  get  to  heaven,  I  must  sing  every 
step  of  the  way  thither,  grace,  grace,  boundless  sovereign 
graced 

We  now  come  to  a  new  era  in  the  history  of  Mr.  Parsons — 
to  the  commencement  of  his  public  labors  as  an  evangelist  and 
missionary.  Several  applications  for  ministerial  services  had 
been  made  to  him,  but  he  chose  to  accept  an  invitation  from 
the  Vermont  Missionary  Society,  having  had  unusual  desires 
to  be  useful  in  this  state  before  his  departure  from  his  native 
land.  His  labors  in  the  northeastern  counties  of  this  state  were 
remarkably  successful,  and  form  one  of  the  most  interesting 
chapters  in  his  eventful  life.  In  his  report  to  the  Society,  he 
says,  "  During  the  thirty  weeks  employed  in  this  mission,  I 
have  preached  one  hundred  and  forty-six  sermons,  made  five 
hundred  and  sixty-five  religious  visits,  attended  fifteen  church 
meetings  and  thirty-nine  religious  meetings,  visited  six  schools, 
assisted  in  the  organization  of  three  churches,  baptized  forty 
adults  and  forty-six  children,  admitted  ninety-seven  to  the 
communion,  and  seven  times  administered  the  Lord's  Supper." 
His  journal  contains  a  notice  of  his  last  visit  to  one  of  the 
towns  most  blessed  by  his  labors.  "  November  29th,  at  Troy, 
Vermont.  This  day  preached  my  last  sermon  to  my  dear  lit- 
tle children,  whom  I  am  not  to  see  again  till  the  heavens  be 


26g  REV.  LEVI  PARSONS. 

no  more.  The  dear  lambs  of  the  flock  were  nourished  with 
spiritual  food,  and  seemed  to  he  under  the  protection  of  the 
Shepherd  and  Bishop  of  souls.  Precious  have  been  the  seasons 
of  the  year  past.  A  few  months  since,  and  this  whole  region 
was  a  moral  wilderness ;  now  the  desert  rejoices  upon  every 
side.  More  than  one  hundred  give  evidence  of  adoption  into 
the  family  of  Christ.  The  sacrament  was  administered  to 
more  than  sixty  communicants,  who  we  trust  will  come  with 
Christ  in  the  glory  of  his  father.  Now,  0  Shepherd  of  Israel, 
to  thee  I  commend  these  dear  disciples.  I  give  back  the  trust 
which  I  have  received.  I  come  to  thee  to  keep,  protect,  and 
comfort  thine  own  children.  Oh  may  they  be  sanctified  through 
thy  truth,  and  received  to  glory." 

The  Prudential  Committee  of  the  American  Board,  at  a 
meeting  held  at  Andover,  Massachusetts,  September  24th,  1818, 
requested  Mr.  Parsons  and  Mr.  Pliny  Fisk  to  prepare,  as  soon  as 
convenient,  for  a  mission  to  Western  Asia.  The  object  of  the 
mission  was  stated  to  be, 

"I.  To  acquire  particular  information  respecting  the  state 
of  religion,  by  correspondence  or  otherwise,  in  Asiatic  Turkey. 

"  II.  To  ascertain  the  most  promising  places  for  the  establish- 
ment of  Christian  missions,  and  the  best  means  of  conducting 
them. 

"  III.  To  inquire  by  what  means  the  Scriptures  and  relig- 
ious tracts  may  be  most  advantageously  circulated." 

In  his  journal  we  find  the  following  notice  of  this  event : 
^^  September  24^A,  1818.  Received  this  morning  the  request  of 
the  Prudential  Committee  that  immediate  preparation  be  made 
for  a  mission  to  the  Holy  Land.  With  mingled  emotions  of 
joy  and  sorrow,  I  received  this  interesting  information.     In 


REV  LEVI  PARSONS.  269 

view  of  my  entire  inability  for  a  work  so  important,  I  could 
often  plead,  '  Lord,  send  by  whom  thou  wilt,  let  me  be  ex- 
cused ;'  and  the  reply  was  as  often  returned,  '  Who  hath  made 
man's  mouth,  or  who  maketh  the  dumb,  or  the  deaf,  or  the  see- 
ing, or  the  blind  ?  Have  not  I,  the  Lord  ?  Now  therefore  go, 
and  I  will  be  with  thy  mouth,  and  teach  thee  what  thou  shalt 
say.'  Here  my  doubts  were  removed.  Lord,  with  thy  pres- 
ence I  will  go  ;  with  thy  armor  and  shield  I  will  fight  the  bat- 
tles of  the  Most  High ;  with  thy  spirit  I  will  leave  all  I  hold 
dear  below,  rejoicing  that  I  am  counted  worthy  to  bear  to  the 
land  of  darkness  and  woe  the  light  of  salvation,  the  glad  tid- 
ings of  peace." 

Although  Messrs.  Parsons  and  Fisk  had  been  directed  to 
make  speedy  preparation  for  a  mission  to  Western  Asia,  yet 
the  Prudential  Committee  judged  it  expedient  to  retain  them 
for  a  season  in  this  country,  to  labor  as  agents  for  the  Board. 
Mr.  Parsons,  after  visiting  several  towns  in  Vermont,  passed 
through  Cambridge  and  Albany  to  BtifTalo,  New  York,  and  went 
west  as  far  as  Painesville,  Ohio,  visiting  most  of  the  churches 
on  the  route.  "  The  whole  sum  collected  and  subscribed  was 
$6000.  Several  circumstances  contributed  to  the  success  of 
this  mission.  Mr.  Parsons'  patience  and  perseverance,  the  love- 
liness of  his  disposition,  the  pleasantness  of  his  manners,  the 
attraction  of  his  public  addresses ;  the  fact,  also,  that  he  was 
destined  as  a  messenger  of  mercy  to  the  most  interesting  spot 
on  the  earth — that  he  expected  soon  to  walk  on  the  mountains 
of  Zion,  Calvary,  and  Olivet — all  conspired  to  make  a  favora- 
ble impression,  and  render  his  agency  prosperous." 

After  religious  services,  of  which  one  of  the  pastors  said  that 
"  there  had  not  been  so  interesting  a  time  in  Boston  for  fifty 


270  REV.  LEVI  PARSONS. 

years,"  Messrs.  Parsons  and  Fisk  sailed  from  that  city  Novem- 
ber 3d,  1819,  and  arrived  in  Smyrna  January  15th,  1820.  Here 
they  entered  at  once  upon  the  study  of  the  language,  and  such 
missionary  labors  and  explorations  as  they  were  able  to  perform. 
After  the  sojourn  of  nearly  a  year  at  Smyrna,  it  was  thought 
best  that  Mr.  Parsons  should  visit  the  Holy  Land.  December 
2d,  1820,  he  writes,  "  Next  Tuesday  I  expect  to  leave  Smyrna 
for  Jerusalem.  My  passage  is  engaged.  I  go  in  a  Greek  ves- 
sel with  pilgrims ;  am  to  land  at  Joppa ;  and  from  thence  go 
with  the  pilgrims  to  Jerusalem.  The  opportunity  is  considered 
to  be  a  good  one  ;  the  path  of  duty  seems  to  be  plain.  Per- 
haps I  may  do  some  good  to  the  pilgrims  who  accompany  me 
to  the  Holy  Land,"  February  25th  his  eyes  rested  on  Jerusa- 
lem. "  At  twenty  minutes  past  four,  my  guide  exclaimed.  To 
oros  ton  Elaion  (the  Mount  of  Olives),  and  in  just  half  an  hour 
we  entered  by  Jaffa  gate  the  Holy  City." 

He  continued  at  Jerusalem  in  his  work  of  Bible  and  Tract 
distribution,  and  missionary  explorations  and  excursions  to  the 
interesting  localities  in  the  vicinity,  for  the  space  of  four 
months.  ^^  April  26th.  At  nine  o'clock,  left  Jerusalem  for 
the  Jordan  ;  the  pilgrims  were  several  hours  in  advance.  At 
twelve  o'clock,  stopped  at  a  fountain  where  it  is  said  our  Sav- 
ior often  refreshed  himself  on  his  way  from  Jericho  to  Jerusa- 
lem. At  four  o'clock,  pitched  our  tent  on  the  plains  of  Jericho. 
Went  to  view  the  present  village  of  Jericho,  consisting  of  a  few 
mud  huts  in  the  centre  of  an  extended  plain.  Toward  the 
east,  beyond  Jordan,  we  beheld  the  mount  which  Moses  as- 
cended, and  whence  he  viewed  the  land  of  promise ;  to  the 
west,  the  wilderness  in  which  our  Savior  fasted  forty  days  and 
forty  nights,  and  was  afterward  tempted  of  the  devil. 


REV.  LEVI  PARSONS 


271 


^-  April  21th.  After  sleeping  two  hours  on  the  ground,  we 
were  awaked  at  half  past  two  o'clock,  and  ordered  to  proceed 
to  the  Jordan.  On  our  way  some  remarks  were  made  concern- 
ing the  Scripture  history  of  this  river.  The  armies  of  Israel 
passed  it  on  dry  land  '  right  over  against  Jericho.'  Elijah  took 
his  mantle  and  wrapped  it  together,  and  smote  the  waters,  and 
they  were  divided  hither  and  thither.  Here,  also,  Elisha  cried, 
Where  is  the  Lord  God  of  Elijah  7  and  smote  the  waters  and 
they  divided.  Here,  at  the  baptism  of  our  Savior,  were  the 
heavens  opened,  and  '  Lo,  a  voice  from  heaven  saying.  This  is 
my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased.' 


The  Jordan. 
"  At  five  o'clock,  stood  on  the  banks  of  the  Jordan.     The 
pilgrims  all  rushed  into  the  stream  and  plunged  themselves  be- 
neath the  sacred  waters. 


272  REV.  LEVI  PARSONS. 

"  At  six,  left  the  Jordan  and  bent  our  course  toward  the 
Dead  Sea.  Arrived  at  half  past  seven  o'clock  ;  the  water  of 
the  Dead  Sea  is  excessively  bitter.  We  could  see  far  toward 
the  place  where  were  ingulfed  the  guilty  cities  of  Sodom  and 
Gromorrah,  the  inhabitants  of  which  are  set  forth  for  an  exam- 
ple, suffering  the  vengeance  of  eternal  fire.  Left  the  Dead 
Sea  at  eight  o'clock,  and  arrived  at  our  tent,  on  the  plains  of 
Jericho,  at  half  past  nine.  At  two  P.M.,  set  out  for  Jerusa- 
lem, and  arrived  at  eight  in  the  evening." 

May  8th  he  writes,  "  Early  this  morning  visited  the  bishops 
and  took  my  leave  of  them.  They  said,  '  We  wish  to  see  you 
soon  again  in  this  city.'  Left  the  city  at  six  o'clock  by  Jaffa 
gate.  As  I  ascended  the  hill  west  of  the  city,  I  turned  to 
take  another  view  of  the  dearest  spot  on  earth.  The  words  of 
David  were  fresh  in  my  mind,  '  If  I  shall  find  favor  in  the  eyes 
of  the  Lord,  he  will  bring  me  again,  and  show  me  both  it  and 
his  habitation.'  " 

On  his  return  to  Smyrna,  he  tarried  a  while  in  the  island 
of  Syra,  where,  on  recovering  from  severe  sickness,  he  wrote 
to  his  mother,  October  11th,  1821,  the  last  letter  he  ever  ad- 
dressed to  her.  We  make  the  following  extract :  "I  think 
that  Job  says,  'When  I  lie  down  thou  scarest  me  with  dreams." 
I  believe  that  most  sick  people  say  that  terrific  dreams  are  a 
great  affliction.  In  my  sickness  the  Lord  mercifully  saved 
me  from  this  pain.  It  has  been  a  great  consolation  to  me. 
My  sickness,  it  is  true,  has  been  a  long  dream.  I  was  some- 
times in  America,  building  meeting-houses,  theological  semin- 
aries, teaching  children.  If  my  dreams  are  true,  I  believe  I 
have  done  as  much  in  America  the  past  month  as  any  one 
minister.     But  I  was  often  in  Jerusalem,  preaching  with  great 


REV   LEV!  PARSONS.  9-70 

success,  and  once  I  reasoned  before  the  governor  of  Smyrna,  a.^^ 
Paul  did  before  Felix.  You  see  I  am  a  child  ;  true,  I  am  very 
weak.  Now,  my  mother,  the  Lord  bless  you  in  the  family,  in 
retirement,  in  your  visits,  in  your  attempts  to  do  good  ;  the 
Lord  bless  you  in  all  things." 

After  an  absence  of  a  year,  he  rejoined  Mr.  Fisk,  his  com- 
panion,in  Smyrna.  December  28th,  he  ^^Tote  to  his  brother-in- 
law,  the  writer  of  his  memoir,  from  which  our  extracts  are 
taken,  ''I  arrived  here  December  3d,  and  have  had  a  precious 
month  with  Brother  Fisk.  We  can  not  be  too  thankful  for  the 
privilege  of  meeting  again  on  missionary  ground  after  a  year 
of  separation.  It  has  greatly  increased  our  desire  to  be  united 
for  many  years  in  our  blessed  work.  We  design,  if  the  way  is 
plain,  to  sail  for  Egypt  soon,  in  hopes  of  seeing  Jerusalem  be- 
fore the  Passover." 

'■^January  1st,  1822,  Neiv  Yearh  day.  Set  it  apart  for 
prayer  and  confession,  and  for  supplication  in  regard  to  the  fu- 
ture year.  Seldom  has  a  year  dawned  upon  us  with  more 
sweet  and  melting  seasons  of  devotion.  Perhaps  never  have 
we  enjoyed  more  nearness  to  God  in  social  duty.  My  present 
very  feeble  health  reminds  me  of  the  probability  that  the  next 
New  Year's  day  sun  will  shine  upon  my  grave.  I  wish  to 
think  that  I  stand  near  to  that  dreadful  hour."  #  #  * 
"My  health  is  very  much  reduced.  It  is  the  decided  opinion 
of  the  doctor  of  Smyrna,  of  Brother  Fisk,  and  of  my  other 
friends,  that  I  should  sail  immediately  for  Alexandria,  in  Egypt. 
I  yield  to  their  opinion,  hoping  that  the  Divine  blessing  will 
attend  this  design.  I  wish  to  set  sail  in  view  of  life  or  death, 
having  my  eye  fixed  on  the  invisible  world." 

'■'■January  Sth.    Our  trunks  are  ordered  on  board;  I  must 

S 


274  REV.  LEVI  PARSONS. 

go,  leave  the  event,  look  up  to  the  Keeper  of  Israel,  endure 
what  my  heavenly  Father  shall  appoint  for  me." 

Their  passage  to  Alexandria  was  remarkably  quick^ — only 
five  days  from  Smyrna ;  but  Mr.  Parsons'  health  was  not  much, 
if  at  all  improved.  January  21st,  he  thus  writes:  "  Find  my 
strength  greatly  reduced.  Desire  to  be  in  readiness  to  meet 
my  summons  from  the  world — have  but  little  expectation  of 
recovering  strength  before  I  go  hence  to  be  here  no  more.  My 
great  desire  is  to  honor  Grod  and  religion,  even  to  the  moment 
of  closing  my  eyes.  As  this  earthly  tabernacle  is  dissolving, 
I  pray  Grod  to  build  me  up  into  a  new,  vigorous,  spiritual  man ; 
then  can  I  sing  with  a  dying  voice,  '  0  Death,  where  is  thy 
sting?'  I  did  desire  to  slumber  till  the  resurrection  on  the 
holy  hill  Bethlehem,  the  birth-place  of  our  Savior.  But  I  re- 
joice that  the  Lord  has  brought  me  to  Egypt.  As  to  the  future 
may  I  say,  '  The  will  of  the  Lord  be  done.' " 

February  4th,  he  wrote  to  his  brother-in-law :  "  This  morn- 
ing (monthly  concert),  far  from  your  dwelling  and  people — far 
from  those  with  whom  we  were  accustomed  to  meet  on  this 
holy,  consecrated  day,  we  thought  ourselves  for  a  moment  sur- 
rounding the  same  altar,  and  pouring  out  our  souls  before  the 
same  throne  of  grace.  In  this  way  we  gather  a  flower  in  the 
desert,  we  catch  a  glimpse  of  light  just  before  the  dawn  of  the 
celestial,  everlasting  day.  My  dear  brother  and  sister,  that 
blissful  vision  of  the  paradise  of  Grod  will  not  long  be  concealed 
from  our  waiting  eyes.  Is  not  the  thoiight  of  it  amazing 
bliss  ?  But  no  ruined  sinner,  like  myself,  can  think  of  it  but 
with  the  prayer, '  Grod  be  merciful  to  me,  a  sinner.' "  Two  days 
later  he  wrote,  "It  is  better  to  walk  in  great  tribulation  than 
in  the  glory  of  this  passing  world.     The  path  of  the  Christian 


REV  LEVI  PARSONS.  275 

is  a  very  mysterious  one.  In  the  darkest  night,  he  sees  a  light 
above  the  brightness  of  the  sun ;  in  the  greatest  danger,  he  is 
under  the  protection  of  an  Almighty  Friend  ;  in  wasting  sick- 
ness, he  has  a  physician  for  body  and  soul ;  in  temptation  by 
.Satan,  one  hastens  to  his  aid  before  whom  devils  tremble  ;  in 
death,  the  last  agonies  are  rendered  even  joyous  ;  when  the 
mortal  frame  decays,  the  immortal  one  becomes  vigorous  and 
glorious ;  when  the  ivorld  withdraws,  heaven  opens  to  his  view. 
At  last,  all  is  heaven.     All  is  glory.     G-od  is  all  and  in  all." 

In  this  state  he  died,  February  10th,  1822.  At  Alexandria, 
and  not  at  his  own  desired  Bethlehem,  they  buried  him,  and 
in  the  church-yard  of  the  Greek  convent  there  is  his  grave  unto 
this  day.  Thus,  in  his  twenty-ninth  year,  closed  the  earthly 
pilgrimage  of  the  first  modern  missionary  who  visited  the  Holy 
Land.  In  his  life  ardent,  devoted,  and  uncompromising ;  in 
his  death  placid  as  the  summer's  lake,  and  full  of  glory.  The 
life  of  such  men  is  like  the  dew  of  Hermon,  and  the  dew  that 
descended  from  the  mountains  of  Zion — their  memories  fra- 
grant as  the  breath  of  heaven.  The  "  Christian  Spectator,"  in 
referring  to  the  death  of  Mr.  Parsons,  gives  the  following  very 
just  tribute  to  his  memory  :  "  Mr.  Parsons  was  greatly  beloved, 
and  is  greatly  lamented.  He  was  a  very  devoted  Christian, 
of  highly  respectable  talents  and  various  learning.  He  was 
accomplished  as  a  man  ;  in  disposition,  manners,  and  address 
fitted  to  find  welcome  access  to,  and  to  adorn  the  most  intelli- 
gent and  refined  society.  He  was  eminently  characterized  by  a 
graceful  and  dignified  mildness  of  demeanor,  a  readiness  of  utter- 
ance and  action,  and  a  happy  adaptation  of  himself  to  surround- 
ing scenes  and  circumstances.  He  was,  indeed,  among  modern 
missionaries  what  Melancthon  was  among  the  Reformers.'' 


SARAH  L.  SMITH. 


Fac  Simile  from  Letter  to  Mrs.  Hooker. 
<^^   ^^^-^  ^^^^=^  .^rZ^^e^-         c^'^^ 


^^  <s3:-5^     rT'^-^^     ^i^si^^c^'^s:;' 


MRS.  SARAH   L.  SMITH, 

AMF.  RIC.\N    BOARD    OF    COMMISSIONERS    FOR    FOREIGN    MISSIONS. 

BY     REV.    E.    W.    HOOKER,    D.D., 
South  Windsor,  Conn. 

A  HIS  eminent  female  missionary  was  a  native  of  Norw^ich, 
Connecticut,  born  June  18th,  1802.  Her  father  was  Jahez 
Huntington,  Esq.,  a  merchant  in  that  city,  and  for  a  long 
course  of  years  a  beloved  officer  in  the  Second  Congregational 
Church.  Her  paternal  grandfather  was  General  Jedidiah 
Huntington,  of  New  London,  an  associate  of  Washington  in 
the  war  of  the  Revolution,  and  one  of  the  early  corporate  mem- 
bers of  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Mis- 
sions. Her  maternal  grandfather  was  Peter  Lanman,  Esq., 
a  merchant  in  Norwich.  The  ancestry  of  her  family,  by  her 
father's  side,  has  been  traced  so  far  back,  and  so  nearly  to  the 


OgO  MRS.  SARAH  L.  SMITH. 

veneratle  John  Robinson,  as  to  leave  little  room  for  doubt  that 
she  was  a  descendant  of  that  eminent  Puritan  father. 

Mrs.  Smith's  early  developments  of  intellectual  character 
were  such  as  to  foretoken  her  taking  an  eligible  rank  among 
American  women.  She  had  unusual  fondness  for  intellectual 
pursuits,  and  for  employment  in  dealing  with  mind.  Even 
before  she  had  become  hopefully  a  Christian,  she  entered  with 
great  earnestness  into  the  employment  of  teaching  in  a  Sunday- 
school,  in  the  establishment  of  which  she  was  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal movers.  While  in  this  scene  of  her  efforts,  she  was 
awakened  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  to  her  condition  and  duties 
as  a  sinner ;  and,  under  the  consciousness  of  entire  spiritual 
unfitness  to  be  a  Sunday-school  teacher,  she  at  one  time  medi- 
tated resigning  her  place.  It  was  not  long,  however,  after  the 
awaking  of  this  feeling,  before  she  became  hopefully  renewed 
by  Divine  grace,  and  prepared  to  go  on  with  her  duties  as  a 
teacher  under  the  new  and  holy  motives  of  a  Christian.  Her 
hopeful  conversion  occurred  when  in  the  nineteenth  year  of 
her  age.  She  engaged  in  the  duties  of  the  Christian  life  as 
being  also  her  sweet  and  chosen  privilege,  and  devoted  herself 
to  the  good  of  other  souls  with  an  earnestness  rarely  surpassed 
or  equaled.  Hers  seemed  one  of  those  cases  in  which  a  fe- 
male character  of  unusually  interesting  endowments,  yet  with- 
out religion,  at  length  receives  its  finish  and  beauty  by  the  re- 
newing of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  a  delightful  preparation  for  use- 
fulness and  influence  on  others  for  good,  while  treading  the 
path  to  heaven. 

The  period  of  Mrs.  Smith's  early  life,  from  the  date  of  her 
conversion  to  that  of  her  decision  on  devoting  herself  to  mis- 
sionary life,  was  employed  in  such  studies  and  cultivation  of 


MRS.  SARAH  L.  SMITH.  281 

her  intellectual  powers  as,  it  now  appears,  her  heavenly  Father 
designed  should  especially  fit  her  for  that  service.  In  the  home 
of  her  father,  and  in  the  circles  of  her  relatives  and  acquaint- 
ance at  Norwich,  Hartford,  New  Haven,  New  London,  New 
York,  and  elsewhere,  and  in  journeys  in  which  she  mingled  in 
the  society  of  intelligent  strangers,  she  moved  in  the  spiritual 
gracefulness  of  the  cultivated  and  mature  Christian,  carrying 
her  religion  every  where  with  her,  and  making  impressions  on 
the  minds  of  those  who  became  acquainted  with  her  never  to 
be  forgotten.  With  her  whole  soul  she  interested  herself  in 
the  revival  and  prosperity  of  religion  in  the  place  of  her  home, 
elsewhere,  and  every  where.  The  conversion  of  her  three 
brothers,  whom  she  loved  with  all  the  ardor  of  a  sister  and  a 
Christian,  and  also  of  the  numerous  members  of  her  circle  of 
relations,  both  distant  and  near,  and  living  without  the  Chris- 
tian hope,  was  an  object  for  which  she  watched,  prayed,  and 
labored  with  almost  ceaseless  solicitude.  She  entered  with 
lively  interest  into  all  the  well-accredited  enterprises  of  Chris- 
tian benevolence,  and  gave  herself,  and  solicited  the  contribu- 
tions of  others,  toward  their  advancement.  Nor  was  she  satis- 
fied to  be  externally  busy  and  active  in  the  promotion  of  re- 
ligious interests.  She  cultivated  in  her  own  heart  the  spirit 
of  humble,  earnest,  and  fervent  piety.  Her  views  of  Christian 
experience  in  the  Divine  life,  as  well  as  of  Christian  faith  and 
practice,  were  scriptural,  deep-felt,  and  influential  over  her 
whole  habit  and  manner  of  life.  Rarely  is  a  Christian  charac- 
ter found  in  the  Church,  and  in  the  circles  of  Christian  society, 
more  symmetrical,  or  more  visibly  marked  with  "  whatsoever 
things  are  lovely  and  of  good  report." 

Mrs.  Smith's  contemplations  of  Christian  missions,  as  a  field 


of  effort  in  which  it  might  be  her  own  duty  to  engage,  began 
in  the  year  1823.  Various  instrumentalities  contributed  to 
enlist  her  feelings  in  this  great  object.  Listening  to  preaching 
on  the  subject  of  Christian  missions  ;  reading  the  Missionary 
Herald,  and  tracts  on  missions  ;  attending  anniversaries  of 
missionary  societies  auxiliary  to  the  American  Board  ;  attend- 
ance on  the  monthly  concert,  in  which  she  was  exemplary  for 
her  steadiness  ;  looking  at  the  great  field  of  the  world,  so  deso- 
late, and  pondering  the  need  of  more  laborers  in  the  field — all 
these  instrumentalities  exerted  their  influence.  Their  effect 
was  increased  by  fixing  her  attention  upon  the  spiritual  con- 
dition and  wants  of  a  remnant  of  the  Mohegan  tribe  of  Indians, 
living  six  miles  from  Norwich  ;  by  devoting  herself,  personal- 
ly, for  several  months  to  their  instruction  ;  corresponding  with 
Jeremiah  Evarts,  Esq.,  the  secretary  of  the  American  Board, 
in  reference  to  their  being  provided  with  a  missionary  preacher 
and  teacher  ;  and  also  with  Hon.  Lewis  Cass,  then  Secretary 
of  War,  relative  to  a  government  appropriation  for  their  moral 
and  intellectual  improvement ;  and  in  soliciting  aid  from  other 
sources  in  furtherance  of  this  object,  on  which  her  heart  was 
so  much  set.  To  see  a  young  lady  of  her  intellectual  char- 
acter, taste,  and  refinement,  moving  in  the  first  circles  of  so- 
ciety at  home  and  abroad,  and  therefore  under  so  many  in- 
ducements to  indulge  herself  in  the  enjoyments  of  home  and 
the  society  of  her  friends — to  see  such  a  one  leaving  all  these, 
and  spending  a  whole  winter  among  a  community  principally 
Indians,  with  a  few  white  families,  in  teaching  a  day-school  in 
the  week,  a  Sabbath- school  on  the  Sabbath,  and  employing 
herself  for  the  reformation  of  the  intemperate,  the  enlighten- 
ment of  the  ignorant,  the  elevation  of  the  degraded,  the  com- 


MRS.  SARAH  L.  SMITH.  283 

fort  of  the  sorrowful,  sick,  and  dying,  and  the  religious  counsel 
of  those  who  were  anxious  and  asking  after  salvation — to 
see  a  young  lady  thus  denying  herself,  and  thus  laboring  for 
the  good  of  others,  and,  amid  toil  and  privation,  steadily  ad- 
vancing in  her  interest  in  the  great  subject  of  Christian  mis- 
sions, was  to  see  evidence  that  truly  there  is  such  a  thing  in 
Christian  experience  as  that  Paul  declared,  "  For  the  love  of 
Christ  constraineth  us.''"' 

In  the  course  of  this  time  her  mind  made  such  progress  on 
the  subject  of  missions,  that  she  came  to  the  conclusion  ex- 
pressed in  the  following  extract  of  a  letter  to  her  second  brother, 
"  Our  annual  meeting  of  the  Foreign  Missionary  Society  was 
very  interesting.  I  then  made  the  resolution,  that  whenever 
my  dear  parents  want  me  no  longer,  if  unfettered  as  I  am 
now,  I  shall  devote  myself  personally  to  a  mission  among  the 
heathen.  So  you  may  consider  me  henceforth  a  missionary  in 
heart,  and,  when  circumstances  favor,  must  be  ready  to  resign 
me,  unless  God  should  put  insurmountable  obstacles  in  the 
way." 

In  1833  arrived  the  time  when  one  so  devoted  in  heart  to 
the  great  cause  of  Christian  missions  was  to  have  opportunity 
to  enter  upon  actual  service.  The  Rev.  Eli  Smith,  D.D.,  who 
had  been  for  several  years  devoted  to  missionary  researches  in 
Syria  and  Persia,  and  had  returned  to  spend  a  few  months  in 
this  country,  invited  her  to  the  relationship  of  a  missionary 
wife.  Notwithstanding  all  the  ties,  tender  and  strong,  which 
connected  her  with  her  paternal  home,  and  a  wide  circle  of 
relatives  and  her  beloved  country,  she  was  not  long  in  coming 
to  a  conclusion  on  her  duty,  and  to  a  decision  to  accept  the 
proposals  offered,  and  to  attend  the  devoted  and  efficient  mis- 


284  MRS.  SARAH  L.  SMITH. 

sionary  in  his  return  to  his  field  at  Beirut.  The  history  of  the 
months  which  elapsed  between  the  time  of  her  decision,  in 
March,  1833,  to  that  of  her  embarkation  with  her  husband  in 
the  following  September,  could  it  be  here  written,  would  be  a 
history  of  happy  anticipations  of  entrance  on  the  missionary 
service,  which  not  all  her  love  to  her  friends,  nor  all  theirs  to 
her,  nor  all  her  anticipations  of  the  sacrifices  she  was  about  to 
make,  could  interrupt.  The  loveliness  and  beauty  of  that 
spring  and  summer,  opening  around  her  in  the  pleasant  resi- 
dence of  her  father  and  its  vicinity,  were  before  her  for  the  last 
time.  She  writes,  however,  to  her  only  sister  at  that  delight- 
ful season  of  the  year,  "All  nature  seems  joyous,  animate  and 
inanimate.  This  little  plain  looks  like  a  paradise,  and  I  some- 
times sing  with  pleasure,  rather  than  pain.  Eve's  lamentation  : 

"  '  Must  I  leave  thee,  Paradise  ! 
Thus  leave  thee,  native  soil, 
These  happy  walks  and  shades'!' 

"Yes;  with  joy  I  leave  thee,  that  souls,  whose  value  out- 
weighs a  world's  delights,  may  become  heirs  of  'the  sweet 
fields  beyond  the  swelling  floods.' "  As  the  time  of  her  de- 
parture approached,  she  felt  all  her  attachments  to  her  home 
and  friends  strengthened,  enlivened,  and  made  doubly  tender; 
and  the  deep  feelings  of  her  heart  as  a  daughter,  sister,  relative, 
and  friend  were  called  into  exercise,  powerful  and  sometimes 
almost  overwhelming.  Yet  those  who  corresponded  with  her, 
or  were  about  her  to  the  last  moment  before  she  sailed,  saw  no 
indication  that  she  repented  her  decision.  "Writing  to  her  fa- 
ther, on  the  eve  of  her  embarkation,  she  says,  "And  now,  my 
dear  father,  I  take  my  pen  for  the  last  time,  and  address  my- 


MRS.  SARAH  L.  SMITH.  285 

self  to  you.  Nature  struggles  hard,  and  I  stop  to  wipe  the 
tears,  which  gather  fast  and  intercept  the  traces  of  my  pen. 
But  I  must  not  indulge  myself  in  saying  what  is  in  my  heart. 
G-od  only  knows  those  deep,  deep  fountains  of  feeling  which 
he  has  created  there.  Your  letters  and  brother's  have  been  all 
received,  and  were  more  valuable  than  gold.  They  will  often 
be  read  on  our  voyage.  *  *  *  *  I  have  urged 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Wisner  to  go  and  see  you.  The  former,  particu- 
larly, has  strong  hold  of  my  heart ;  I  hope  you  will  become 
acquainted  with  him." 

^k  dfc  dfc  dfc  ^  "M:  ^k  ^k  dfr  ^t: 

"And  now  must  I  say,  adieu  ? 

"  '  Friends,  connections,  happy  country, 
Can  I — can  I  say  farewell  1' 

Dear  father  and  mother,  sisters  and  brothers,  I  forsake  you  for 
Christ.  You  all  love  Him,  and  your  claim  to  me  you  joyfully 
relinquish.  To  him  I  commend  you  ;  at  his  feet  I  leave  you  ; 
and  there,  this  morning,  have  I  cast  myself,  with  this  plea, 
'  Lord,  be  merciful  to  me,  a  sinner !'  As  such,  I  hope  to  be 
borne  throvTgh  the  labors  and  trials  of  life,  and  to  the  gate  of 
heaven.  There  we  meet  to  part  no  more.  Till  then — Fare- 
well /" 

After  a  prosperous  voyage,  in  which  she  devoted  herself  to 
the  admiration  of  ocean  scenes,  in  storm  and  sunshine,  and  to 
the  study  of  the  Arabic  language,  and  to  endeavors,  with  her 
husband  and  their  missionary  associates,  for  the  good  of  the 
sailors,  she  arrived  at  Beirut,  January  20th,  1834. 

Mrs.  Smith,  viewed  in  her  missionary  home,  appears,  first  of 
all,  as  a  devout,  heavenly-spirited,  and  prosperous  Christian  ; 
next,  as  an  affectionate,  devoted,  and  happy  wife  ;  and,  with 


286  MRS.  SARAH  L.  SMITH. 

these,  a  diligent  and  patient  student  of  the  Arabic  language, 
through  which  she  soon  sfained  access  to  the  minds  of  those 
around  her ;  as  also  a  diligent  and  skillful  teacher  of  the  na- 
tive children  and  youth ;  as,  with  her  female  assistants,  a  ju- 
dicious and  active  deviser  of  good  for  the  souls  with  which 
they  were  surrounded  ;  and  as  an  accomplished  entertainer  of 
strangers  and  others  who  visited  their  station. 

On  missionary  and  exploring  excursions  with  her  hushand 
and  others,  she  appears  as  a  traveler,  seeing  every  thing  in  the 
Holy  Land  with  the  eye  and  the  feelings  of  a  Christian  ;  as  a 
woman  of  taste  and  just  sentiments  ;  and  also  with  the  eye  of 
one  who  felt  for  the  ignorance,  degradation,  guilt,  and  wretch- 
edness of  the  sons  and  daughters  of  Arabia. 

She  sought,  by  correspondence,  to  interest  American  females 
in  the  enterprise  of  missions  to  that  country,  and  succeeded  in 
persuading  her  lovely  and  excellent  friend.  Miss  Rebecca  Will- 
iams, of  East  Hartford,  Connecticut,  to  come  out  and  be  her 
associate  in  missionary  efforts  for  the  good  of  Arab  females. 
She  visited  Jerusalem  and  its  environs,  and,  without  yielding 
herself  at  all  to  the  superstitious  credulity  and  sickly  senti- 
mentalism  which  work  in  the  mind  of  the  Romanist,  she  dwelt, 
with  the  deep  feelings  of  a  Christian,  upon  the  history  of  the 
days  and  years  of  the  Savior  of  men  as  passed  there. 

She  visited  Gethsemane.  Her  own  record,  written  on  the 
blank  leaves  of  her  pocket  Testament,  and  which  she  returned 
to  the  donor,  in  this  country,  shortly  before  her  death,  will  best 
tell  how  she  passed  her  time  in  that  sacred  and  eventful  spot, 
and  how  she  remembered  the  scenes  of  the  night  of  the  Sav- 
ior's sorrows  and  agony,  and  betrayal  there :  "  When  you  pre- 
sented me  with  this  precious  little  book,  my  dear  brother,  you 


MRS.  SARAH    L.   SMITH 


2S7 


Gethsemane. 


probably  tliil  not  expect  to  spe  it  again.  It  has  been  the  com- 
panion of  all  my  wanderings  since  I  left  my  native  land.  And 
now  I  return  it  to  you,  for  the  single  reason  that  it  has  made 
a  visit  to  the  Cxarden  of  Grethseinane.  In  that  spot  I  seated 
myself,  and  in  solitude  perused  Matthew,  xxvi.,  36—56,  with 
peculiar  feelings  ;  and  then  I  plucked  the  sprig  which  you  will 
find  herein.  Take  this  little  Testament  to  your  communion- 
table, and  urge  upon  your  church,  once  more,  the  parting  com- 
mand of  their  suffering  Savior." 

Returning,  with  her  full  heart,  to  her  home  and  its  dxities, 
she  went  forward,  doing,  with  greater  earnestness  than  ever, 
and  with  her  might,  whatsoever  her  hand  found  to  do.  The 
detail  of  her  employments  would  lead  to  the  wonder  how  she 
found  time  for  them  all.  Her  love  for  her  duties  and  her  ardor 
in  prosecuting  them  were  such  as  to  lead  one  of  the  missionar}' 


238  MRS    SARAH  L.  SMITH. 

brethren  of  the  station  to  write  of  her  thus  :  "  Mrs.  Smith's  fe- 
male school  prospers  wonderfully,  hut  it  is  the  altar  of  her  own 
health  ;  and  I  fear  that  in  the  flame  that  goeth  up  toward 
heaven  from  off  that  altar  she  will  soon  ascend,  as  did  Mano- 
ah's  angel.  May  the  Lord  prolong  her  valuable  life  !  We  can 
hardly  spare  her ;  she  is  our  only  hope  for  a  female  school  in 
Beirut  at  present."  Amid  all  the  employments  which  engaged 
her,  and  all  the  scenes  which  she  visited,  or  in  which  she 
moved  and  labored  for  the  good  of  others,  she  may  be  truly 
said  to  have  lived  continually  breathing  the  breath  of  prayer. 
She  "  walked  with  Grod,"  and  soon  she  "  was  not,  for  G-od  took 
her."  Indeed,  in  the  nature  of  the  case,  a  life  so  arduously 
occupied,  under  an  interest  so  intense  in  the  great  objects  of 
the  mission,  could  not  be  long.  From  some  exposure  of  health 
in  the  rainy  season,  early  in  1836,  permanent  and  fatal  pul- 
monary complaints  set  in,  and,  in  the  month  of  June,  had  so  far 
advanced,  that,  by  advice  of  her  physician,  she  left  Beirut  with 
her  husband  on  a  voyage  to  Smyrna.  On  their  voyage  they 
were  shipwrecked,  on  the  northern  coast  of  the  Mediterranean, 
beneath  the  mountains  of  Caramania,  in  Asia  Minor. 

After  perils  many  and  critical,  and  detentions  various,  and 
with  greatly-reduced  strength,  Mrs.  Smith  arrived  with  her  hus- 
band at  Smyrna,  and  took  up  her  residence  for  a  few  days  at 
the  house  of  Rev.  Mr.  Temple,  then  American  missionary  at 
that  place.  She  was  subsequently  removed  to  the  more  re- 
tired residence  of  Rev.  Mr.  Adger,  also  a  missionary  at  Boojah, 
five  miles  from  town.  This  proved  to  be  her  last  resting-place 
and  residence  this  side  the  heavenly  Canaan  ;  and  here,  with 
her  husband,  and  among  many  siirrounding  friends,  missiona- 
ries and  native  Christians,  she  took  her  last  steps  to  her  grave. 


MRS.  SARAH  L    SMITH  289 

The  records  of  her  exercises  from  the  7th  of  August  to 
the  30th  of  September,  the  day  of  her  death,  can  neither  be 
condensed  nor  abridged  ;  and  the  limits  assigned  to  this  article 
forbid  their  insertion  here.  It  must  suffice,  therefore,  to  say, 
in  brief,  that  her  steps  toward  the  grave,  first  taken  with  "  fear 
and  much  trembling,"  by  reason  of  her  distrusts  of  herself,  and 
under  the  severe  scrutiny  which  she  used  in  self-examination, 
through  strengthened  and  lively  hope,  finally  became  firm  ;  and 
for  the  last  three  or  four  weeks  she  advanced  from  day  to  day, 
and  hour  to  hovir,  toward  the  close  of  life,  in  sweet  composure, 
calm  hope  and  joy,  and  steadfast  faith  in  her  Divine  and  Al- 
mighty Redeemer.  "  No  visions  of  angels,"  said  she,  "  are 
given  me,  and  no  excessive  joy,  but  a  settled  quietness  of  mind. 
I  believe  all  that  is  written  in  the  "Word  of  God  ;  and  upon  the 
strength  of  this  faith  I  am  going  into  eternity."  Relative  to 
her  having  left  her  home  and  country  for  the  love  of  Christ, 
and  to  make  him  known  to  the  perishing  sons  and  daughters 
of  Arabia,  she  said,  "  Tell  my  friends,  I  would  not  for  all 
the  world  lay  my  remains  any  where  but  here,  on  missionary 
ground."  The  final  scene — the  hour  of  her  departure,  is  thus 
described  by  her  affectionate  husband : 

"  September  SOfh.  It  was  about  half  past  four  when  I  en- 
tered the  room.  Her  hand  had  a  death-like  coldness  as  I  took 
it,  and  I  perceived  that  h^r  hour  was  come.  As  soon  as  all 
were  assembled,  I  asked  her  if  Mr.  Adger  should  pray.  "With 
indistinctness  she  replied,  'Yes.'  It  was  the  last  word  she 
spoke.  Convulsions  had  begun  before  he  commenced,  but  she 
was  quiet,  in  a  good  degree,  while  he  prayed.  We  then  remain- 
ed silently  watching  her,  feeling  that  we  had  nothing  more  to  do 
but  to  pray  in  our  hearts  for  her  speedy  relief  from  suffering. 

T 


290  ^'^'^    SARAH  L.  SMITH. 

"  Involuntary  groans  were  occasionally  uttered  in  her  con- 
vulsions. These,  as  we  were  listening  to  them  with  painful 
sympathy,  once,  to  our  surprise,  melted  away  into  musical 
notes  ;  and  for  a  moment  our  ears  were  charmed  with  the  full, 
clear  tones  of  the  sweetest  melody.  No  words  were  articulated, 
and  she  was  evidently  unconscious  of  every  thing  about  her. 
It  seemed  as  if  her  soul  was  already  joining  in  the  songs  of 
heaven,  while  it  was  yet  so  connected  with  the  body  as  to  com- 
mand its  unconscious  sympathy.  Not  long  after,  she  again 
opened  her  eyes  in  a  state  of  consciousness.  A  smile  of  per- 
fect happiness  lighted  up  her  emaciated  features.  She  looked 
deliberately  around  upon  different  objects  in  the  room,  and  then 
fixed  upon  me  a  look  of  the  tenderest  affection.  Bending  over 
her,  I  touched  her  lips  with  mine,  and  she  returned  my  token 
of  love.  It  was  her  farewell.  Her  frequent  prayers  that  her 
Savior  would  meet  her  in  the  dark  valley  have  already  been 
mentioned.  By  her  smile  she  undoubtedly  intended  to  assure 
us  that  she  had  found  him.  Words  she  could  not  utter  to  ex- 
press what  she  felt.  Life  continued  to  struggle  with  its  last 
enemy  until  twenty  minutes  before  eight  o'clock,  when  her  af- 
fectionate heart  gradually  ceased  to  beat,  and  her  soul  took  its 
final  departure,  to  be  forever  with  the  Lord." 

We  close  this  sketch  with  the  following  inquiries,  to  which 
it  naturally  leads,  from  the  same  pen.  :  "  From  what  did  such 
devotedness  and  such  industry  spring  ?  Their  seat  was  in  her 
heart.     They  were  planted  there  by  grace  and  by  nature. 

"  Grace  nourished  in  her  heart  a  piety  whose  prominent  fea- 
tures were  essentially  missionary.  Her  devotions,  upon  which 
it  lived,  were  of  a  nature  that  brought  eternity,  with  all  the 
immortal  interests  of  the  soul,  unusually  nigh,  and  constant- 


MRS.  SARAH  L.  SMITH  291 

ly  presented  a  great  variety  of  objects  to  be  embalmed  in  her 
most  devout  affections.  Prayer  was  emphatically  her  vital 
breath.  It  was  the  life  of  her  soul.  Her  customary  meals 
she  diminished  in  number,  and  often  omitted,  but  prayer  nev- 
er. When  traveling  and  when  at  home,  it  was  equally  indis- 
pensable. Often,  when  so  situated  that  retirement  could  not 
well  be  obtained  otherwise,  did  she  rise  while  it  was  yet  dark, 
and  all  others  were  asleep,  that  she  might  go  alone  to  Grod. 
But  this  she  did  not  merely  in  such  circumstances.  She 
loved  to  do  it.  It  was  this  feature  in  her  devotions  that  helped 
her  to  bring  eternal  things  nigh  to  her.  She  removed  as  far 
from  the  world  as  she  could,  and  in  doing  so  she  got  very  nigh 
to  eternity. 

''  Her  seasons  of  devotion  were  as  sacred  from  all  intrusion  as 
her  Sabbaths.  She  made  it  an  essential  item  in  the  arranging 
of  her  house  to  appropriate  one  room  for  an  oratory.  When 
this  was  secured,  she  richly  enjoyed  her  hours  of  retirement. 
Her  regularity  in  them,  and  her  partiality  to  the  quietness  of 
the  early  morning,  while  the  world  was  yet  asleep,  have  been 
already  mentioned.  In  her  prayers  she  was  explicit  and  par- 
ticular, even  in  little  things ;  for  she  felt  that  He  who  cares 
for  sparrows,  directs  and  takes  an  interest  in  the  least  mat- 
ters, and  that  nothing  is  too  small  to  be  referred  to  him.  She 
put  him  in  the  relation  of  a  familiar,  though  exalted  friend, 
and  her  devotions  were  a  reverential  cultivation  of  intimacy 
with  him.  And,  in  thus  drawing'  nigh  to  God  in  the  recesses 
of  such  retirement,  she  found  heaven  drawing  nigh  to  her.  It 
was  in  that  field  her  rich  imagination  delighted  to  roam.  Noth- 
ing gratified  her  so  much  as  to  gather  from  Scripture  some  new 
or  striking  thought  about  that  blessed  world.     And  in  no  con- 


292  MRS.  SARAH  L.  SMITH 

versation  was  she  so  animated  as  in  such  as  had  this  for  its 
subject.  So  great  was  her  heavenly-mindedness,  that  the  fa- 
vorite subject  of  her  waking  thoughts  often  occupied  her  also 
in  sleep.  Heavenly  scenes  were  objects  about  which  she  fre- 
quently dreamed. 

"  With  the  spirituality  of  mind  she  thus  cultivated  no  bod- 
ily indulgence  was  allowed  to  interfere.  She  delighted  to 
'  keep  her  body  under,  and  to  bring  it  into  subjection.'  It  was 
with  her  a  principle  to  contract  no  habit  of  any  kind,  in  regard 
to  food,  so  strong  that  it  could  not  with  perfect  ease  be  dis- 
pensed with  ;  for  she  would  by  no  means  consent  to  be,  in  any 
sense,  a  slave  to  bodily  appetite.  This  it  gave  her  pleasure  to 
sacrifice  to  the  interests  of  her  mind.  Food  was  to  her  a  most 
insipid  topic  of  conversation,  which  she  avoided  with  care, 
even  at  table  ;  and  to  blunt  her  mind  by  indulgence  in  it,  was 
what  she  was  almost  ignorant  of  by  experience  ;  while  those 
who  did  it  lost  thereby  much  of  her  esteem.  Her  diet  was  al- 
most wholly  of  vegetable  food,  and  of  that  she  ate  but  little, 
for  the  reason  that  her  thoughts  were  thus  left  more  free,  and 
her  affections  more  lively.  With  those  who  esteemed  fasting 
an  inconvenience  or  unprofitable,  she  felt  no  sympathy.  She 
usually  fasted  the  first  Monday  of  every  month,  in  connection 
with  the  monthly  concert,  when  she  ate  nothing  vmtil  the  day 
was  closed.  And  at  no  time  did  she  have  more  elasticity  and 
cheerfulness  of  spirits,  or  enjoy  herself  more  than  on  these  oc- 
casions. 

"  Thus  she  lived  above  the  world.  And  is  it  wonderful, 
that  with  a  mind  so  pure  and  spiritual,  and  a  heart  so  fixed  on 
heaven,  she  should  not  hesitate,  when  her  summons  came,  to 
leave  the  body  and  go  to  be  forever  with  the  Lord  ?     It  is  be- 


MRS.  SARAH  L.  SMITH.  293 

lieved  she  prayed  for  recovery  but  once  during  the  whole  of 
her  sickness.  She  was  induced  to  do  it  then  by  reading  the 
33d  chapter  of  Job. 

"  But  such  habits  of  spirituality  and  heavenly-mindedness 
did  not  merely  prepare  her  own  soul  for  heaven.  They  gave 
her  an  overwhelming  sense  of  the  guilt  and  danger  of  those 
who,  devoting  themselves  altogether  to  the  world,  lose  all  sight 
of  eternity.  When  she  found  herself  surrounded  by  an  entire 
community  wholly  of  this  character,  her  emotions  became 
sometimes  almost  too  strong  for  her  constitution  to  sustain. 
Occasionally,  when  walking  upon  a  terrace  which  overlooked 
the  city  of  Beirut,  aiwi  reflecting  that  the  thousands  upon 
whose  dwellings  she  gazed  would  almost  inevitably  soon  de- 
scend into  a  miserable  eternity,  did  she  express  such  exercises 
of  soul  as  could  be  experienced  only  by  one  to  whose  faith 
eternity  was  unvailed  with  the  clearness  of  unclouded  vision, 

"  It  was  a  heart  swelling  with  benevolence  of  such  an  origin 
that  impelled  Mrs.  Smith  in  her  course  of  untiring  labors.  Yet 
she  rested  not  satisfied  with  the  interest  in  the  eternal  welfare 
of  others,  to  which  spirituality  of  so  heavenly  a  cast  naturally 
gives  rise.      She  cultivated  it  by  long  and  persevering  practice. 

"  Her  devotions  were  as  little  selfish  as  her  life.  Others  had 
a  large  share  in  them.  Her  manner  of  observing  the  monthly 
concert  of  prayer  for  missions  has  been  already  alluded  to. 
She  had  also  many  private  concerts  of  prayer  with  friends,  for 
particular  objects  and  particular  persons,  which  her  heart 
would  by  no  means  allow  her  to  neglect.  For  a  large  circle 
of  friends  she  prayed  individually,  remembering  some  in  ro- 
tation, and  others  at  stated  times,  "Were  the  list  of  individuals 
to  be  summed  up  who  thus  found  a  place  weekly  in  her  prayers, 


294 


MRS.  SARAH  L.  SMITH 


it  would  surprise  many  a  cold-hearted  Christian,  who  knows 
little  of  her  attachment  to  the  closet.  Yet,  instead  of  feeling 
it  a  burden,  she  always  loved  to  increase  the  number.  Thus 
she  suffered  those  deep,  heartfelt  emotions,  which  the  soul  only 
knows  when  it  is  alone  with  God,  to  go  away  from  herself; 
and  benevolence  found  its  way,  and  imparted  its  coloring  to 
the  very  innermost  sources  of  feeling  in  her  heart.  These  emo- 
tions, too,  thus  sent  abroad,  entwined  themselves  around  the 
objects  she  prayed  for,  and  drew  them  into  a  close  and  sacred 
union  with  herself.  It  was  like  a  generalizing  of  her  being, 
and  to  feel  for  others  became  so  much  a  part  of  her  nature  as 
largely  to  share  the  throne  in  her  heart,  with  the  love  of  self 
naturally  predominant  there. 

"The  analysis  of  Mrs.  Smith's  character  for  benevolence 
would  be  imperfect  without  adding  that  what  grace  thus  cher- 
ished in  her  was  ingrafted  upon  a  stock  unusually  congenial  by. 
nature  to  its  growth.  Her  distinguishing  characteristic,  natu- 
rally, was  warm  and  generous  affection.  She  delighted  to  love ; 
and  her  love  was  expansive.  It  sought  to  embrace  a  wide  cir- 
cle, and  was  ever  seeking  for  new  objects  to  rest  upon.  She 
would  often  discover  something  to  interest  her  in  a  character 
where  others  could  discover  nothing ;  and  she  would  still  feel 
and  hope  for  a  friend,  and  be  devising  ways  to  do  him  good, when 
all  others  had  given  him  up.  It  might  almost  be  said  that  na- 
ture did  for  her  what  grace  fails  to  do  for  some.  While  yet  in 
an  unconverted  state,  and  quite  a  girl,  she  took  a  leading  part 
in  the  establishment  of  one  of  the  earliest  Sabbath-schools  in 
New  England  ;  and  in  after-life  she  was  once  greeted  as  a 
Christian  sister  by  one  who  traced  her  conversion  to  instructions 
received  from  her  at  that  time  as  a  member  of  her  class. 


MRS.  SARAH  L.  SMITH  295 

"  The  generosity  of  her  affections  was  such  that  she  delight- 
ed to  forget  herself  in  giving  pleasure  to  others ;  nothing  was 
too  good  for  her  friends.  The  best  and  most  gratifying  use 
she  knew  how  to  make  of  any  thing  she  valued  was  to  give  it 
away ;  and  this  she  was  very  sure  soon  to  find  some  occasion 
to  do.  It  was  her  way  of  laying  it  up.  She  enjoyed  it  more 
in  the  hands  of  her  friends  than  in  her  own  ;  and  she  secured, 
besides,  a  place  in  their  recollections.  She  was  carefully  and 
systematically  economical  in  whatever  she  used  in  her  family 
and  in  her  labors.  She  was  avaricious  of  only  one  thing — the 
affections  of  her  friends.  They  were  a  treasure  she  loved  to 
secure  and  increase. 

"  The  strength  of  her  emotions  was  often  the  occasion  of  won- 
der and  admiration  to  her  friends.  They  were  a  great  deep  in 
her  breast.  Yet  so  thoroughly  were  they  under  her  control,  as 
to  form  no  dispro])ortioned  excrescence  or  deformity  in  her 
character.  And  as  she  felt  strongly  herself,  she  liked  this  trait 
in  others.  An  intellectual  character,  even  of  the  highest  order, 
she  could  look  upon  with  comparative  indifference.  But  let 
her  catch  indications  of  strong  affections,  and  her  interest  was 
secured.  She  seemed  to  feel  a  sympathy  of  soul  with  such  a 
person. 

"  From  such  generous  and  strong  emotions,  directed  and  so 
highly  cultivated  by  divine  grace,  did  Mrs.  Smith's  devoted- 
ness  and  industry  in  the  cause  of  benevolence  spring.  They 
were  the  irresistible,  untiring,  moving  power,  that  urged  her 
on  in  her  labors  of  love.  And  oh  !  what  a  soul  of  ardent,  be- 
nevolent feeling  swelled  her  breast !  Her  dearest  friend,  near 
as  he  was  to  her,  never  felt  that  he  fully  comprehended  it.  Its 
depths  he  could  not  fathom,  and  it  was  to  him  a  constant  ob- 


296  MRS.  SARAH  L.  SMITH 

ject  of  admiration.  Had  her  frame  been  as  strong  as  her  soul 
was  great  and  ardent,  she  might  have  been  still  going  on  in 
her  course.  But  her  bodily  strength  was  literally  consumed 
by  the  flame  which  burned  within  her.  Now,  however,  she  is 
tied  to  no  such  clog  to  hinder  her  in  her  heavenly  course ;  for 
surely  such  a  character  was  not  brought  to  so  high  a  degree 
of  excellence  to  be  at  once  and  forever  extinguished  by  death. 
Can  we  doubt  that  she  is  transferred  to  scenes  where  her  noble 
heart  finds  scope  for  its  most  expanded  emotions  ?  And  mvich 
as  limited  views,  and  personal  attachment,  may  tempt  her 
friends  to  feel  that  she  was  taken  from  earth  too  soon,  her 
character  almost  authorizes  us  to  say  that  earth  had  her  la- 
bors long  after  she  was  ripe  for  heaven." 


DANIEL  TEMPLE 


Fac  Simile  from  Letter  dated  Smyrna,  July  3d,  1844. 


REV.  DANIEL    TEMPLE, 

AMERICAN    BOARD     OF     COMMISSIONERS     FOR     FOREIGN     MISSIONS. 

BY    REV.    WILLIAM     GOODELL, 
Missionary  at  Constantinople. 

jJaNIEL  temple  was  bom  at  Reading,  Massachusetts, 
December  23d,  1789.  He  was  the  eldest  of  thirteen  children, 
of  whom  eleven  lived  to  adult  age.  His  parents  were  Deacon 
Daniel  and  Sarah  Beard  Temple.  Till  he  was  more  than  twen- 
ty-one years  old,  he  was  employed  in  mechanical  labors,  and 


300  REV.  DANIEL   TEMPLE. 

worked  in  a  shop  which  still  stands  opposite  to  the  old  home- 
stead— a  hallowed  spot  ! 

In  an  extensive  revival  of  religion  in  1810,  Mr.  Temple  was 
hopefully  converted,  and  in  December  of  the  same  year  he 
united  with  the  church  in  his  native  town,  of  which  the  Rev. 
Peter  Sanhorn  was  pastor.  He  was  then  just  twenty-one  years 
of  age.  In  the  following  winter  he  read  Dr.  Buchanan's  "  Chris- 
tian Researches,"  and  early  in  the  following  summer  he  com- 
menced his  studies,  with  the  hope  of  becoming  himself  a  mis- 
sionary. 

His  preparatory  studies  were  pursued  at  Phillips  Academy, 
Andover,  of  which  the  greatly  beloved  and  revered  John  Adams, 
Esq.,  was  then  principal.  Mr.  Temple  graduated  at  Dartmouth 
in  1817.  His  influence  in  college  was  always  great,  and  one 
of  the  years  he  spent  there  was  emphatically  "  the  year  of  the 
right  hand  of  the  Most  High."  Some  of  the  best  talent  de- 
veloped in  college  was  consecrated  to  Christ ;  and  not  less  than 
seven  of  those  who  then  became  hopefully  pious  have  since 
become  distinguished  presidents  and  professors  in  our  various 
colleges  and  universities,  to  say  nothing  of  those  who  entered 
the  sacred  ministry.  Wliile  in  college,  he  received  about  forty 
dollars  a  year  from  the  funds  of  the  Union  Academy,  New 
Hampshire  ;  and  for  the  rest,  he  assisted  himself  by  teaching, 
in  his  winter  vacations,  both  grammar  and  singing  schools. 

Mr.  Temple  spent  three  years  at  Andover  Theological  Sem- 
inary, and  was  licensed  to  preach  at  Billerica,  by  the  Andover 
Association,  in  August,  1820.  After  being  employed  as  an 
agent  of  the  American  Board  one  year  in  Massachusetts,  he 
was  ordained,  at  the  same  time  with  the  Rev.  Isaac  Bird,  at 
North  Bridgewater,    October   3d,    1821,   the   Rev.  Dr.  Storrs 


REV   DANIEL   TEMPLE.  gQJ 

preaching  the  sermon,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Cod  man  giving  the  charge, 
and  the  Rev.  Samuel  G^reen  the  right  hand  of  fellowship. 

In  December  of  the  same  year,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Rachel  B.  Dix,  daughter  of  Colonel  Timothy  Dix,  of  Boscawen, 
New  Hampshire.  He  sailed  from  Boston  for  Malta,  January 
2d,  1822,  and  carried  with  him  the  first  printing-press,*  which 
has  since  proved  such  a  hlessing  to  the  people  of  the  East. 
The  beloved  wife  of  his  youth  died  at  Malta,  January  15th, 
1827,  and  his  two  youngest  children  followed  her  to  the  grave 
in  March  and  April  succeeding.  The  two  eldest  still  survive, 
and  they  are  both  of  them  engaged  in  preaching  the  everlast- 
ing Grospel. 

After  the  death  of  his  wife,  Mr.  Temple  returned  to  this 
country  ;  and  January  4th,  1830,  was  again  married,  at  Hart- 
ford, Connecticut,  to  Miss  Martha  Ely,  daughter  of  Deacon 
Nathaniel  Ely,  of  Longmeadow,  Massachusetts.  He  sailed  a 
second  time  for  Malta,  January  18th,  1830 ;  and  in  December, 
1833,  he  left  Malta  for  Smyrna,  and  carried  with  him  the 
whole  printing  establishment.  Though  he  first  set  up  the 
press  in  that  island,  and  was  a  missionary  in  Malta,  yet  he 
was  not  a  missionary  to  Malta,  for  all  the  operations  of  the 
press  were  for  the  regions  beyond.  And  when  he  removed 
with  the  press  to  Smyrna,  and  fought  its  battles  there,  when 
it  was  ordered  away  from  the  country,  though  he  continued 
with  it  until  he  left  the  mission,  he  was  never,  properly  speak- 
ing, a  missionary  to  Smyrna.  Schools,  indeed,  among  the 
Gi-reeks,  he  superintended  there,  and  the  glorious  G-ospel  of  the 
blessed  Grod  he  preached  there,  generally  in  English,  as  he  did 

*  This  press  was  purchased  and  given  to  the  Board  by  a  lew  benevolent  in- 
dividuals in  Boston. 


302  REV.DAyiEL    TEMPLE. 

with  great  power  and  success  at  Malta ;  but  his  principal  la- 
bors were  in  connection  with  the  press.  And  whoever  would 
see  what  he  did  must  go  to  Constantinople,  to  Aintab,  and, 
indeed,  through  the  whole  length  and  breadth  of  that  land. 
Wherever  the  numerous  books  that  issued  from  his  press  went, 
there  he  spoke  ;  and  in  whatever  city,  or  town,  or  village  the 
reading  of  those  books  was  blessed  to  any  individual,  there  the 
fruits  of  his  labors  appear.  "With  the  press  he  was  connected 
from  the  very  first,  and  he  continued  his  connection  with  it  till 
he  left  the  mission,  June  7th,  1844.  The  Annual  Report  of 
the  Board  for  that  year  makes  the  following  reference  to  his 
return : 

"  Mr.  Temple  embarked  in  the  Stamboul  on  the  7th  of  June, 
on  his  return  home,  and  arrived  in  Boston  on  the  16th  of  Au- 
gust. His  return  was  a  clear  case  of  duty,  and  was  so  regard- 
ed by  himself;  but  had  not  the  Lord  so  remarkably  hedged 
up  his  way  among  the  Grreeks,  he  would  have  regarded  it  far 
preferable  to  remain  and  lay  his  bones  in  the  field  of  his  mis- 
sionary labors." 

After  his  return  to  this  country,  he  was,  as  ever,  engaged 
about  his  Master's  business.  At  Phelps,  Ontario  county,  New 
York,  where  he  was  settled  for  a  season,  his  labors  were  greatly 
blessed,  to  the  edifying  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  and  the  quick- 
ening to  life  of  many  who  were  dead  in  sin.  For  some  time 
before  his  death  he  was  unable  to  preach ;  but  in  sickness  as 
in  health,  in  sufferings  as  in  labors,  he  glorified  his  Master, 
until  he- was  called  to  enter  upon  his  reward.  He  died  at  Read- 
ing, Massachusetts,  among  his  relatives  and  the  friends  of  his 
youth,  August  11th,  1851. 

The  reference  I  feel  constrained  here  to  make  to  myself  will 


REV   DANIEL   TEMPLE.  gQg 

be  pardoned,  when  it  is  known  that  the  circumstances  of  my 
acquaintance  and  intimacy  with  this  man  of  God  were  peculiar. 
We  studied  together  nine  years  ;  at  Phillips  Academy,  at  Dart- 
mouth College,  and  at  Andover  Theological  Seminary.  Seven 
of  those  years  we  occupied  the  same  room,  ate  at  the  same  ta- 
ble, prayed  in  the  same  closet  (for  the  rooms  we  for  the  most 
part  occupied  unhappily  contained  but  one  closet),  and  at  night 
threw  ourselves  down  upon  the  same  couch.  For  nine  months 
we  lived  together  under  the  same  roof  in  Malta.  And  though 
we  were  afterward  separated,  and  were  under  the  necessity  of 
occupying  different  stations,  yet  we  repeatedly  met  each  other, 
and  our  correspondence  was  never  interrupted.  This  corre- 
spondence, during  all  the  latter  years  of  his  sojourn  in  the 
East,  was  not  a  monthly,  but  a  weekly  correspondence.  Many 
hundreds  of  these  epistles  of  his  love  I  have  received  and  pre- 
served ;  and  they  are  all  of  them  as  fresh  and  good  as  though 
they  had  come  directly  from  some  of  the  mansions  above, 
rather  than  through  the  post-office  in  Smyrna. 

The  appearance  of  Mr.  Temple  was  truly  patriarchal  and 
apostolic.  Whoever  saw  him  would  be  likely  to  think  at  once 
of  Abraham,  Isaac,  Jacob,  Peter,  oi  Paul.  Though  always  kind 
and  courteous  in  his  manners,  yel  he  was  as  venerable  as  we 
can  well  imagine  any  of  those  ancient  worthies  to  have  been. 
He  always  secured  the  respect  of  men,  even  of  the  most  thought- 
less and  gay.  At  college,  neitber  the  ambitious,  on  the  one 
hand,  nor  the  idle  and  dissipated,  on  the  other,  were  ever  known 
to  trifle  with  his  name  or  character.  He  was  never  nicknamed. 
Whenever  he  spoke  he  commanded  attention,  and  every  voice 
would  be  at  once  hushed,  however  noisy  and  boisterous  before. 
It  was  not  his  logic,  but  his  goodness ;  not  his  great  reasoning 


•>Q4  REV.  DANIEL   TEMPLE 

powers,  but  his  great  candor  of  mind  and  courteousness  of  man- 
ner, that  always  secured  for  him  a  patient  hearing.  For^  though 
he  was  a  good  scholar,  and  stood  much  higher  in  the  estima- 
tion of  his  tutors  and  class-mates  than  in  his  own,  yet  it  was 
not  his  scholarship,  but  the  moral  excellence  of  his  character, 
that  made  him  so  great,  and  that  gave  him  such  influence. 

His  manner  in  the  pulpit  was  always  serious  and  impressive. 
His  voice  was  sonorous  ;  his  demeanor  dignified  ;  his  thoughts 
weighty  and  solemn  ;  and  his  fine,  open  countenance  would  be 
generally  lighted  up  with  a  bright  glow  of  animation.  His 
sermons  would  never  fail  to  secure  the  close  attention  of  all 
his  hearers,  but  they  would  be  especially  prized  by  all  the  in- 
quiring, the  praying,  and  the  spirituaUy-minded  ones  of  the 
congregation.  With  metaphysics  and  politics  he  never  med- 
dled. The  Scriptures  were  his  metaphysics.  The  Scriptures 
were  his  theology.  The  Holy  Spirit  and  his  own  experience 
were  his  masters,  and  he  knew  no  other.  It  is  believed  that 
but  very  few  could,  from  Sabbath  to  Sabbath,  "  bring  forth  out 
of  their  treasures  things  new  and  old"  for  "  the  edifying  of  the 
body  of  Christ"  like  this  good  brother. 

His  acquaintance  with  the  Scriptures  was  wonderful.  He 
was  familiar  with  every  part  of  them.  He  drank  deeply  into 
the  spirit  of  them.  "  The  -Word  of  Christ  dwelt  in  him  rich- 
ly ;"  nor  was  this  in  a  foolish  or  in  an  unprofitable  manner, 
but  it  was  "  in  all  ivisdom.^^  A.11  his  prayers  and  his  preach- 
ing, and  even  his  common  conversation,  showed  his  familiarity 
with  these  spiritual  classics.  Though  he  did  not  always  quote 
them,  yet  his  allusions  to  them  were  constant,  and  were  most 
natural  and  happy.  He  loved  them ;  he  reverenced  them  ;  and 
he  used  them  in  a  manner  no  less  reverent  than  pertinent. 


REV.  DANIEL   TEMPLE.  ^05 

His  manner  of  explaining  the  Scriptures  was  most  simple 
and  easy  ;  and,  from  the  beginning  of  the  year  unto  the  end 
of  it,  he  could  sit  and  explain  them  all  day  long,  in  a  manner 
the  most  familiar,  instructive,  and  unostentatious,  and  with  a 
glow  of  countenance  which  indicated  how  deeply  his  own  heart 
was  affected  with  the  truth.  In  this  respect  I  never  knew  his 
equal.  In  this  respect  he  "  was  higher  from  his  shoulders  and 
upward  than  any  of  the  people."  This  habit  made  him  a  very 
instructive  and  agreeable  companion ;  and  it  fitted  him  most 
admirably  to  take  a  prominent  part  in  little  social  prayer-meet- 
ings. For  all  meetings  of  this  kind  he  always  seemed  as  ready 
as  though  he  had  just  received  a  fresh  "  unction  from  the  Holy 
One  ;"  by  virtue  of  which  he  had  clear  and  impressive  views 
of  truth  and  duty,  and  "  knew  all  things." 

The  habits  of  Mr.  Temple  were  always  devotional,  and  that 
to  a  very  extraordinary  degree.  His  hours  for  retirement  were 
most  sacred.  He  had  daily  intercourse  with  the  Father  and 
with  his  Son  Jesus  Christ.  His  prayers  were  always  pertinent, 
fervent,  and  copious ;  and  those  who  united  with  him.  might 
well  wonder  why  he  ever  finished  them,  for  he  always  seemed 
to  have  as  much  to  say  at  the  close  as  when  he  first  began. 

This  man  of  God  never  obtruded  himself  "  where  he  ought 
not."  From  the  first  day  of  my  acquaintance  with  him  till  the 
last,  in  all  his  intercourse  with  his  fellow-students,  or  with  any 
others,  I  never  knew  him  to  take  any  other  than  "the  lowest 
place  ;"  and  that  place  he  always  kept  till  called  upon  by  those 
present  to  "  go  up  higher."  He  was,  indeed  (in  the  language 
of  one  of  his  parishioners  in  this  country),  "  as  complete  a  g'en- 
tleman  as  St.  Paul  himself. ^^  He  was  no  Frenchman  in  his 
manners,  but  he  was  as  emphatically  "  courteous'''  as  that  lib- 

U 


306  ^^^-  I)-'^NIEL    TEMPLE 

erally-educated  apostle  enjoins  all  his  Christian  brethren  to 
be. 

Though  he  was  not  so  acute  a  reasoner  as  some,  yet  he  was 
exceedingly  fond  of  religious  discussion;  or,  rather,  so  great 
was  his  love  for  religious  truth,  that  he  could  not  refrain  from 
conversing  about  it  with  every  body,  even  with  Universalists 
and  other  opposers.  But  his  patience  under  interruption  and 
contradiction,  and  his  forbearance  with  all  the  ignorance  and 
self-conceit  frequently  manifested  by  such  persons,  were  truly 
astonishing.  He  always  made  such  discussions  a  personal  mat- 
ter with  them,  and  pointed  out  their  danger  with  great  plain- 
ness ;  but  withal  he  manifested  such  a  sincere  and  tender  re- 
gard for  their  temporal,  and  especially  eternal  welfare,  that 
they  seemed  to  feel  he  was  their  best  friend;  and,  it  is  be- 
lieved, he  never  made  any  one  his  enemy  by  such  plain  dealing. 

When  Mr.  Temple  commenced  his  studies,  he  could  not  be 
prevailed  upon  to  take  any  exercise.  During  his  whole  college 
life,  it  is  not  believed  he  ever  took  three  steps,  put  them  all  to- 
gether, for  the  sake  of  exercise.  He  felt  the  need  of  none,  and 
took  none.  But  he  enjoyed  good  health  all  the  time,  and  stud- 
ied full  three  or  four  times  as  much  every  day  as  his  chum 
was  able  to  do.  In  after-life,  however,  he  found  it  necessary 
for  his  health  to  take  exercise,  and  he  attended  to  it  with  much 
regularity.  So,  in  the  former  part  of  his  religious  course,  he 
very  seldom  indulged  in  a  real  hearty  laugh.  He  thought  it 
savored  of  levity.  And  when  he  saw  his  less  scrupulous  room- 
mate indulging  himself  in  this  respect  beyond  what  he  thought 
was  meet  (which  was  by  no  means  an  uncommon  event  in 
those  days),  he  would  bring  down  his  fist  with  mighty  energy 
upon  the  table,  and  exclaim,  "  I  said  of  laughter,  it  is  mad  ; 


REV.  DANIEL   TEMPLE.  nnn 

and  of  mirth,  what  doeth  it  ?"  But  in  after-life  he  found  this 
also  conducive  to  health,  and  he  did  not  hesitate,  at  proper 
times,  to  indulge  in  it  with  great  freedom,  as  though  he  had 
all  confidence  in  the  efficacy  of  the  medicine.  Indeed,  his 
spirit  was  more  cheerful  in  the  latter  part  of  his  life  than  it 
was  in  the  former  part ;  and  "  so  much  the  more  as  he  saw 
the  day  approaching P 

The  character  of  this  good  man  as  a  missionary  can  be  read- 
ily inferred  from  his  general  character  as  a  Christian.  All  that 
spirit  of  candor,  of  prayer  fulness,  of  entire  consecration,  which 
distinguished  him  as  a  Christian,  he  carried  with  him  into  the 
missionary  field.  On  account  of  his  connection  with  the  press, 
however,  his  labors  did  not  tell  as  the  labors  of  some  others 
have  done.  He  was  connected  with  the  press  from  first  to  last, 
though  this  connection  was  rather  an  unnatural  one,  being 
much  less  suited  to  his  taste  than  more  spiritual  labors,  which 
would  bring  the  very  tones  of  his  voice  into  contact  with  the 
consciences  and  hearts  of  men.  But  he  was  "  faithful  in  that 
which  is  least." 

Wherever  he  was  found,  whether  at  the  Academy,  the  Col- 
lege, or  the  Theological  Seminary ;  whether  at  Malta  or  Smyr- 
na ;  whether  in  the  pulpit,  at  the  press,  or  in  the  street ;  wheth- 
er employed  in  that  which  was  secular,  or  in  that  which  was 
spiritual — he  was  always  recognized  as  a  stranger  here,  "  whose 
citizenship  was  in  heaven."  He  had  no  occasion  to  say  to  men 
that  he  "was  free-born,"  for  his  very  manners  and  counte- 
nance attested  to  his  high  parentage  and  heavenly  birth. 
Among  the  various  nations,  and  tribes,  and  sects  of  the  East, 
his  name  is  held  in  high  estimation.  Even  Jews,  Turks,  and 
Infidels  will  some  of  them  pronounce  it  with  something  of  the 


308  REV.  DANIEL    TEMPLE. 

same  reverence  with  which  we  should  ever  pronounce  the 
name  of  "  Our  Father  in  Heaven.'^  His  bare  word  would 
sooner  be  taken  by  many  of  them,  than  the  note  of  hand  of 
any  merchant  in  the  place,  however  great  his  capital,  and  how- 
ever punctual  his  payments  might  be.  He  was  trained  to 
habits  of  economy  from  his  youth,  and  these  habits  became,  in 
riper  years,  sanctified  by  the  word  of  Grod,  and  by  prayer. 
He  received  no  salary  during  any  part  of  his  missionary  life ; 
and  all  the  expenses  of  his  household,  and  of  the  great  print- 
ing establishment  with  which  he  was  connected  (so  far  as  the 
latter  could  be  controlled  by  him),  were  curtailed  with  special 
reference  to  the  account  he  must  render  at  the  great  day. 

All  the  money  of  the  Church  which  passed  into  his  hands 
for  his  own  necessary  expenses,  or  through  his  hands  as  treas- 
urer of  the  Station,  he  ever  most  sacredly  regarded  as  belong- 
ing, every  farthing  of  it,  to  Christ ;  and  he  would  no  more  think 
of  using  the  very  smallest  part  of  it  unnecessarily,  or  for  his 
own  personal  gratification,  than  though  the  Lord  Jesus  had 
himself  been  the  treasurer  to  whom  he  had  to  send  back  his 
annual  list  of  expenses.  He  would  have  been  willing,  at  any 
time,  that  his  Lord  and  Master  should  come  and  look  at  every 
book  he  bought  for  his  library,  at  every  article  of  dress  in  his 
wardrobe  or  lurniture  in  his  parlor,  and  at  the  quantity  and 
quality  of  every  thing  that  came  upon  his  table. 

To  most  of  the  missionaries  who  have  since  gone  into  those 
countries,  he  was  a  father,  and  his  house  was  a  home.  Many 
of  them  dwelt  for  a  longer  or  a  shorter  time  beneath  his  roof; 
with  many  of  them  he  kept  up  a  regular  correspondence,  and 
all  of  them  regarded  him  as  a  wise  counselor,  and  looked  to 
him  for  advice  in  every  time  of  need.     In  his  intercourse  with 


REV.  DANIEL   TEMPLE  gng 

his   associates  he   was   always   frank    and   courteous,  always 
ready  to  yield  every  comfort  and  every  predilection  of  his  own 
,  for  the  sake  of  others,  and  ever  ready  to  make  a  most  ample 
apology  even  before  he  had  committed  any  offense. 

The  three  languages  of  which  he  made  constant  use  in  his 
intercourse  with  men,  were  the  English,  the  Italian,  and  the 
Greek ;  and  hy  his  connection  with  the  press,  he  may  be  said 
to  have  used  also,  to  some  extent,  the  Turkish  and  the  Arme- 
nian. His  study  of  the  Bible — the  whole  Bible — in  various 
languages,  from  beginning  to  end,  and  his  familiarity  with  the 
very  language  of  the  Bible,  the  copiousness  and  pertinency  of 
his  prayers,  the  seriousness  of  his  deportment,  the  perfect  ease 
with  which  he  would  introduce  religious  conversation  even  of 
the  most  personal  kind,  and  the  truly  Christian  courteousness 
of  his  manner  under  the  contradiction  of  cavilers,  were  all  won- 
derful. So  kind  and  courteous  was  he  on  all  occasions,  that  1 
never  knew  him  in  any  instance  to  give  offense  by  his  faithful 
personal  conversations  with  men,  though  he  not  only  embraced 
every  opportunity  that  naturally  occurred  for  such  conversa- 
tions, but  sought  opportunities  and  made  them  occur.  His  la- 
bors were  blessed  wherever  he  went,  and  soldiers  and  sailors,  as 
well  as  many  others,  looked  up  to  him  as  their  spiritual  father. 
No  person  could  remain  many  hours  in  his  family  without  be- 
ginning to  feel  deeply  that  G-od  himself  was  there  in  the  fam- 
ily. Every  stranger  present  at  his  family  prayers  would  be 
almost  sure  to  feel  that  he  was  carried  by  him  into  the  holy  of 
holies,  and  placed  directly  before  the  mercy-seat,  where  he  was 
drawing  down  upon  himself  and  those  around  him  the  special 
attention  of  his  Maker.  Some  (sea-captains  and  others)  who 
were  providentially  members  of  his  family  for  several  days, 


310  ^^^'  DANIEL    TEMPLE. 

and  thus  came  with  him  to  the  family  altar,  there  learned  for 
the  first  time  the  way  to  the  throne  of  grace,  and  how  to  wor- 
ship God  in  spirit  and  in  truth. 

In  every  place,  and  at  all  times,  he  was  known  as  one  of 
G-od's  friends,  as  one  who  "waited  for  the  Lord  more  than 
they  who  watch  for  the  morning ;  I  say  more  than  they  who 
watch  for  the  morning."  Our  Savior  once  said  of  himself, 
"  The  prince  of  this  world  cometh,  and  hath  nothing  in  me." 
I  have  often  thought  that  the  same  lansfuasre  miofht,  though 
not  absolutely,  yet  in  a  secondary  sense,  be  used  of  our  depart- 
ed brother.  When  the  Prince  of  this  world  comes  to  men  gen- 
erally, he  finds  much  in  them  that  immediately  takes  hold  of 
his  baits ;  but  the  world  might  come  up  in  ten  thousand  ordi- 
nary forms  before  the  mind  of  our  departed  brother,  without 
finding  any  thing  in  him  to  correspond  to  the  temptation  pre- 
sented. That  is,  most  of  those  forms  that  so  inflame  the  pas- 
sions of  worldly  men,  had  long  ceased  to  have  any  effect  upon 
him,  or,  rather,  they  excited  in  him  only  such  affections  as  are 
pure  and  holy.  And  why?  Because  he  "was  dead  to  the 
world  and  alive  to  God." 

The  first  time  I  saw  him  after  my  arrival  in  this  country, 
though  he  was  unable  to  speak  a  loud  word,  he  whispered  in 
my  ear,  "/am  a  happy  man.''''  And,  indeed,  it  was  so. 
Every  thought  of  his  seemed  a  happy  thought.  Every  view 
he  had  of  eternal  things  was  a  bright  view.  Every  prospect 
was  a  most  cheering  prospect.  Not  a  passing  cloud  obscured 
his  vision.  The  darkness  was  past,  and  the  true  light  now 
shined  with  unwonted  splendor.  Indeed,  he  seemed  to  be  al- 
ready an  occupant  of  one  of  the  outer  of  those  blessed  mansions 
which  the  Savior  went  to  prepare  for  his  friends. 


REV.  DANIEL   TEMPLE  ^-^-^ 

In  the  good  providence  of  God,  he  was  brought  home  to  die 
among  his  relatives  and  the  friends  of  his  youth.  Silver  and 
gold  he  had  none ;  but  they  of  his  Father's  house  received  him 
as  a  brother  much  beloved  ;  and,  by  the  liberality  of  Christian 
friends,  all  his  temporal  wants  were  supplied.  When  I  pro- 
posed leaving  him  a  small  pittance  to  procure  any  little  deli- 
cacy, he  promptly  refused  to  accept  any  thing.  "  Should  my 
Savior,"  said  he,  "  ask  me  if  I  lacked  any  thing,  I  should  lift 
up  both  my  hands  and  say.  Nothing,  nothing.'''' 

Shall  I  now  take  you,  reader,  to  his  dying  bed,  that  you 
may  see  him  in  some  of  the  last  days  of  his  earthly  pilgrim- 
age ?  But  those  last  days  of  his  pilgrimage  scarcely  differed 
at  all  from  the  first  days  of  his  pilgrimage. 

In  great  mercy,  his  reason  and  the  power  of  expressing 
clearly  the  feelings  of  his  heart  were  continued  until  the  very 
last  moments  of  his  temporal  existence.  Do  you  ask  for  some 
of  his  last  words  ?  But  all  his  words  for  the  last  forty  years 
of  his  life  were  '•Hast  ivords.^'  His  thoughts  were  always 
solemn  and  weighty,  like  those  of  a  dying  man,  and  they  were 
always  uttered  with  the  frankness  and  fervency  of  a  man's  last 
thoughts.  In  his  dying  moments,  he  "had  no  new  command- 
ment to  give,  even  to  his  own  two  sons,  but  only  that  which 
they  had  heard  from  his  lips  from  the  very  beginning."  The 
only  marked  difference  between  his  living  behavior  and  his 
dying  behavior  seemed  to  be  this :  that  his  prayers,  like  those 
of  David  the  son  of  Jesse,  were  ended  before  the  night  of  death 
came,  and  the  blessed  remainder  was  filled  up  with  the  most 
lively  gratitude  and  thanksgiving,  with  holy  joy  and  praise. 
"  /  am  looking  forward  to  an  eternity  of  holiness,''''  said  he, 
in  his  own  emphatic  manner. 


312  REV.  DANIEL   TEMPLE 

I  only  add,  that  "  he  is  not,  for  God  has  taken  him."  '•  He 
is  not,"  "he  is  not"  here — "he  is  not"  dead;  but  he  still  "has 
life,  and  has  it  more  abundantly"  than  ever  before.  "I  am 
the  resurrection  and  the  life,"  said  the  Redeemer,  as  he  stood 
up  among  our  sepulchres  ;  "I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life; 
he  that  believeth  in  me,  though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he 
live ;  and  whosoever  liveth  and  believeth  in  me  shall  never 
die." 


AZARIAH  SMITH. 


Fac  Simile  Extract  from  Letter  to  his  Mother,  dated  Constantinople, 
October  17th,  1845. 


REV.  AZARIAH   SMITH,  M.D., 

AMERICAN     BOARD     OF    COMMISSIONERS     FOR    FOREIGN     MISSIONS. 

BY    REV.   GEORGE    DTJFFIELD,   JR., 
Philadelphia. 

X  HE  loss  of  a  godly  and  faithful  man,  cut  off  in  the  midst 
of  his  years  and  usefulness,  we  have  ever  heen  accustomed  to 
consider  one  of  the  heaviest  afflictions  that  can  hefall  the 
Church  of  G-od.  It  matters  little  as  to  the  manner  in  which 
he  is  taken  away,  whether  by  martyrdom,  like  the  Christian 
protomartyr ;  by  accident,  like  the  lamented  Dr.  Armstrong ; 
or  by  sudden  and  unexpected  disease,  like  him  of  whom  we 
are  about  to  speak  ;  the  result  is  the  same  in  either  case.  So 
much  light  has  gone  out  in  the  midst  of  a  dark  world  !  So 
much  salt  is  wanting  to  save  it  from  corruption.  If  "  precious 
in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  is  the  death  of  his  saints,"  equally  so 
ought  their  death  to  be  esteemed  in  the  sight  of  their  brethren. 
With  each  new  vacancy  that  occurs  among  the  soldiers  of  the 
cross,  should  go  up  the  earnest  cry,  "  Help,  Lord,  for  the  god- 
ly man  ceaseth :  for  the  faithful  fail  from  among  the  children 
of  men." 

AzARiAH  Smith  was  born  in  Manlius,  Onondaga  county.  New 


316  REV.  AZARIAH  SMITH 

York,  February  16th,  1817.  His  parents,  the  Hon.  Azariah 
Smith  and  Zilpah  Mack  (the  daughter  of  Colonel  David  Mack, 
whose  history  is  given  in  Tract  No.  487  of  the  American  Tract 
Society  as  the  "  Faithful  Steward"),  were  from  Middlefield, 
Massachusetts.  Though  both  of  them  became  professors  of  re- 
ligion within  the  recollection  of  their  son,  he  "  could  not  re- 
member the  time  when  his  father  did  not  have  regular  family 
prayers,  and  his  mother  did  not  weekly,  if  not  daily,  converse 
with  her  children  on  the  subject  of  personal  religion."  This, 
with  the  further  instruction  he  received  in  the  Sabbath-school, 
and  the  careful  attention  of  his  parents  to  cherish  habits  of  in- 
dustry, and  prevent  the  evils  incident  to  idle,  roving  habits,  and 
association  with  bad  company,  is  sufficient  evidence  of  the  care 
bestowed  upon  his  early  moral  and  religious  education.  Nor 
was  his  intellectual  and  practical  education  neglected.  From 
the  age  of  four  or  five  to  that  of  seventeen,  he  was  kept  at 
school,  studying,  in  addition  to  the  ordinary  branches.  Algebra, 
Latin,  and  Grreek,  with  the  exception  of  about  two  years  spent 
in  an  extensive  country  retail  store,  and  about  six  months 
which  he  spent  laboring  on  a  farm  with  his  uncle  in  Massa- 
chusetts. We  mention  these  facts  to  show,  what  we  hope  to 
make  evident  in  the  course  of  this  narrative,  that  few  mission- 
aries, if  indeed  any,  ever  left  the  American  shore  more  various- 
ly and  more  thoroughly  furnished  for  their  work. 

In  the  spring  of  1834  he  entered  the  Freshman  class  in 
Yale  College,  where,  as  one  of  his  class-mates,  the  writer  first 
became  acquainted  with  him  in  the  G-ymnasium.  In  athletic 
exercises,  requiring  strength  of  muscle,  there  may  have  been 
one  or  two  who  excelled  him  in  particular  feats,  but  certainly 
it  was  characteristic  of  the  man,  that  there  were  none  who 


REV.  AZARIAH  SMITH. 


817 


could  perform  so  many  feats  so  ivell  as  he.  God  had  use  for 
those  limbs,  and  he  was  thus  knitting  them  for  future  arduous 
service.  Naturally  thrown,  in  this  manner,  into  the  compan- 
ionship of  those  whose  spirits  were  the  most  exuberant,  he 
still  more  fully  identified  himself  with  this  particular  circle  by 
uniting  with  the  literary  society  that  was  principally  composed 
of  students  of  this  description.  From  this  time  forward  until 
the  spring  of  the  following  year,  the  influence  of  college  life 
upon  him  was  more  for  evil  than  for  good.  To  use  his  own 
language,  "In  spite  of  all  parental  restriction  and  counsels,  my 
disregard  of  Grod,  at  this  period  of  my  life,  exhibited  itself  in 
almost  all  forms  not  embraced  by  human  laws  under  the  name 
of  crimes."  But  while  thus,  as  it  were,  in  the  very  whirlpool 
of  ruin,  revolving  nearer  and  nearer  to  its  vortex,  the  prayer  of 
parental  faith,  was  not  in  vain.  The  arm  of  an  Almighty  Sav- 
ior was  interposed  for  his  deliverance.  Grod  had  purposes  of 
mercy  toward  him  ;  he  had  much  for  him  to  do  in  his  Church  ; 
as  "  a  chosen  vessel"  of  the  Lord,  he  was  yet  "  to  bear  his 
name  before  many  Grentiles  ;"  he  was  yet  to  do  and  suffer  great 
things  for  the  advancement  of  Christ's  kingdom. 

Previous  to  the  time  of  his  leaving  home  for  college,  he  was 
often  the  subject  of  serious  impressions.  "  But,"  said  he,  "  as 
they  were  awakened  by  causes  external  to  myself,  and  always 
smothered  by  the  carnal  heart,  none  of  them  resulted  in  any 
particular  good."  In  the  spring  of  1835,  however,  a  revival 
occurred  in  college,  which  resulted  in  his  conversion  and  that 
of  about  twenty  of  his  class-mates.  The  case  of  Dr.  Smith 
was  the  most  peculiar  of  them  all.  After  having  been  confined 
to  his  room  for  some  weeks  with  a  mild  attack  of  scarlet  fever, 
when  he  began  to  attend  again  upon  college  duties,  he  found 


318  REV.  AZARIAir  SMITH. 

many  of  his  former  associates  very  serious.  This  excited  a  lit- 
tle surprise  on  his  part,  but  nothing  more,  until  at  length,  to 
use  his  own  language,  "Having  returned  to  my  room  one 
morning  without  any  thing  particular  having  occurred  to  make 
me  serious,  hut  yet  with  the  thought  on  my  mind  that  per- 
haps, if  I  did  not  during  the  present  revival  of  religion  become 
pious,  I  never  should,  I  sat  myself  before  the  fire,  with  my 
Bible  by  my  side,  unopened  before  this,  perhaps,  for  months, 
and  thought  thus  with  myself:  For  once  I  will  throw  aside 
all  my  indefinite  notions  of  the  intangibility  of  religion,  and  I 
will  look  the  subject  in  the  face.  I  believe  in  a  Grod  who 
made  all  things,  and  has  my  destiny  in  his  hands.  I  believe 
I  can  act  so  as  to  obtain  his  favor,  and  that  my  present  course 
will  insure  his  eternal  wrath.  Nothing,  however,  but  heart 
service  will  please  God — that  will,  for  he  says  so  in  his  Word. 
I  believe  I  ought — yea,  I  believe  I  will — yes,  and  I  will  hence- 
forth render  it  to  Him  I  I  then  prayed  for  God's  aid  and  di- 
rection while  I  reflected  and  resolved  upon  the  life  I  should 
lead." 

This  single  hour  (for  it  was  but  an  hour)  was  the  turning- 
point  in  his  destiny,  and  from  this  time  forward,  having  thus 
put  his  hand  to  the  plow,  he  never  looked  back  for  a  single 
moment.  "I  have  consecrated  myself,"  said  he,  "soul  and 
body,  to  the  service  of  God.  I  would  be  a  merchant,  a  manu- 
facturer, a  mechanic,  a  teacher,  a  farmer,  a  pastor  at  home,  or 
a  missionary  abroad,  or  any  thing  else,  so  that  the  employ- 
ment shall  afford  me  the  widest  field  for  doing  good  !"  Such 
being  his  feelings,  we  are  not  surprised  to  learn  that,  very  soon 
after  his  conversion,  his  "  mind  was  made  up  to  become  a  mis- 
sionary," that  he  joined  the  "  Missionary  Band"  in  college, 


REV.  AZARIAH  SMITH.  oiq 

who  had  pledged  themselves  to  the  same  work,  and  that  as 
early  as  the  winter  of  1836  he  had  communicated  his  purposes 
to  Dr.  Armstrong,  one  of  the  secretaries  of  the  American  Board. 
We  need  not  add,  that  during  the  remainder  of  his  college  life 
the  reality  of  his  conversion  was  admitted  by  all.  No  one 
douhted  his  sincerity.  Sudden  as  the  change  was,  it  was  a 
radical  one. 

Immediately  after  he  was  graduated,  August  16th,  1837,  he 
went  to  Geneva,  New  York,  where  he  pursued  the  study  of 
medicine,  in  the  office  of  Professor  Spencer,  until  May,  1839. 
Though  attending  six  lectures  a  day,  and  reading  extensively 
in  the  intervals,  he  found  time,  nevertheless,  during  the  first 
four  months,  to  write  more  than  forty  letters,  chiefly  on  the  sub- 
ject of  religion.  Nor  was  he  too  busy  to  engage  in  Sabbath- 
school  instruction,  to  act  as  secretary  of  the  village  Tract  So- 
ciety, to  prepare  matter  for  their  monthly  meetings,  and  assist 
in  tract  distribution. 

In  June,  1839,  he  went  to  Philadelphia,  where  he  spent 
three  months  enjoying,  under  the  special  favor  of  Professor 
Hodge,  the  privilege  of  free  access  to  the  Pennsylvania  Hospi- 
tal, and,  through  Dr.  Gerhard,  valuable  opportunities  of  im- 
provement in  the  Philadelphia  Dispensary  and  Alms-house. 
In  Philadelphia,  as  at  Geneva,  he  seemed  to  rise  to  a  higher 
level  in  the  Christian  life.  "  I  feel,"  said  he,  "  that  I  am  not 
my  own,  but  that  I  am  bought  with  a  price,  even  the  precious 
blood  of  the  Son  of  God.  I  consider  myself  as  consecrated  to 
the  service  of  God,  and,  of  course,  am  to  have  no  will  of  my 
own,  apart  from  a  desire  to  advance  the  kingdom  of  my  Re- 
deemer ;  and  hence,  unless  some  good  follows  each  action,  T 
feel  that  T  must  condemn  myself,  not  as  an  unfaithful  servant 


gon  REV.  AZARIAH  SMITH. 

of  my  Master,  but  as  a  servant  of  sin  and  Satan,  so  far  as 
that  action  is  concernecV  This  expression,  if  we  mistake  not, 
gives  us  the  key  to  his  entire  life.  It  was  not  his,  it  belonged 
to  Christ. 

In  October,  1839,  he  entered  the  Theological  Seminary  in 
New  Haven,  where  probably  his  notes  of  the  lectures  were  the 
fullest  and  best  that  were  ever  taken.  During  the  succeeding 
fall  and  winter,  with  his  regular  studies  in  the  Seminary,  he 
combined  attendance  upon  the  course  of  lectures  in  the  Med- 
ical School  connected  with  the  college,  and  received  the  degree 
of  M.D.  January  24th,  1840.  From  that  time  he  devoted  him- 
self more  particularly  to  his  theological  studies,  attending  also  a 
daily  recitation,  in  the  Law  School,  in  Blackstone's  Comment- 
aries. "  The  multitude  of  things  to  be  acquired,  and  the  im- 
portance of  learning  them  well,"  having  begun,  almost  simul- 
taneously with  his  conversion,  to  make  their  due  impression  on 
his  mind,  the  Higher  Mathematics,  Natural  Philosophy,  Astron- 
omy, Chemistry,  Mineralogy,  Botany,  Geology,  and  the  vari- 
ous branches  of  Natural  History,  afforded  him  "  great  enjoy- 
ment, intellectually  and  spiritually^^  (the  italics  are  his  own). 
In  short,  active  employment  in  all  matters  where  continuous 
personal  application  was  necessary,  amounted  almost  to  a  pas- 
sion with  him.  Time  which  others  would  have  wasted  he  spent 
in  posting  books,  preparing  catalogues  of  minerals,  plants,  books, 
taking  inventories  of  accounts,  &c.,  thus  exhibiting  an  energy, 
an  industry,  an  indomitable  perseverance  rarely  equaled.  Even 
his  humor  partook  of  this  peculiar  characteristic.  His  exact 
professor  will  remember  when  he  carried  out  his  logarithms  to 
twenty  places  of  decimals  ! 

His  arduous  course   of  preparatory  study  being  at  length 


REV.  AZARIAH  SMITH.  091 

completed,  after  some  trying  and  unexpected  difficulties,  dur- 
ing which  he  had  "  rich  consolation  in  the  feeling  that  all 
things  were  in  Grod's  hands,"  and  in  the  promise,  "  What  I  do 
thou  knowest  not  now,  but  thou  shalt  know  hereafter,"  he  was 
ordained  at  Manlius,  August  30th,  1842 ;  embarked  for  West- 
ern Asia  the  19th  of  November,  and  arrived  at  Smyrna  after  a 
voyage  of  fifty-three  days.  His  journal  during  this  period, 
written  for  his  friends  at  home,  is  truly  a  model,  and  just  what 
might  be  expected  from  such  a  man. 

The  limits  within  which  we  are  necessarily  confined  in  this 
work  will  permit  us  to  give  but  a  brief  sketch  of  his  arduous 
and  untiring  labors  from  the  time  that  he  entered  the  mission- 
ary field.  Such  a  sketch,  however,  will  not  be  without  its  use 
and  meaning  to  those  who  are  acquainted  with  the  condition 
of  things  in  the  East,  and  who  know  how  much  more  difficult 
traveling  is  in  that  country  than  in  our  own. 

In  1843,  he  resided  at  Brusa  two  months,  returned  to  Con- 
stantinople, and  thence  proceeded  to  Trebizond,  where  he  re- 
mained for  five  months.  The  remainder  of  the  time  he  spent 
in  Brusa,  being  engaged,  for  the  most  part,  during  this  year, 
in  studying  Turkish  and  practicing  medicine.  In  1844,  he  vis- 
ited Smyrna,  Rhodes,  Cyprus,  and  Beirut,  and  made  a  tour  in 
the  interior  to  Aleppo,  Orfa,  Diarbekr,  and  Mosul.  He  resided 
at  Mosul  while  Botta  was  disentombing  one  of  the  palaces  of 
ancient  Nineveh.  In  this  connection,  also,  it  may  be  proper 
to  state  that  he  traveled  for  a  time  in  company  with  Mr.  Lay- 
ard.  At  Mosul  it  was  his  sorrowful  privilege  to  watch  over  the 
dying  bed  of  the  excellent  Dr.  Grant.  It  was  in  this  year  that 
he  made  a  trying  and  dangerous  tour  in  the  mountain  Nesto- 
rian  districts  of  Koordistan,  going,  through  much  peril,  as  far 

X 


j>20  REV.  AZARIAH   SMITH 

north  as  Julamerck,  returning  to  Mosul,  and  thence  to  Alex- 
andretta. 

In  1845  he  traveled  extensively,  after  visiting  Constantino- 
ple, including  a  journey  from  Trebizond  to  Erzeroom,  a  ride  of 
seventy-two  days,  from  Erzeroom  to  Trebizond,  and  back  to 
Constantinople. 

In  1846  he  made  another  journey  to  Trebizond  and  Erze- 
room, where  he  remained  about  seventeen  months.  In  July 
of  this  year,  he  was  mobbed  for  affording  protection  to  an  Ar- 
menian priest,  who  fled  to  his  house  ;  but,  in  consequence  of 
his  determined  courage  and  perseverance,  the  offenders  were 
punished,  and  damages  were  recovered  from  the  Turkish  gov- 
ernment. The  remainder  of  the  year  was  filled  with  various 
journeyings,  which  no  one  but  a  man  possessing  his  extraor- 
dinary powers  of  endurance  could  have  undergone. 

He  often  went  many  miles  out  of  his  way  on  these  journeys 
to  leave  prescriptions  for  the  cholera  at  different  missionary 
stations.  What  was  so  widely  known  and  extensively  used  in 
this  country,  in  1849,  as  "  Dwight's  cholera  mixture,"  was  a 
preparation  of  Dr.  Smith. 

On  one  occasion,  in  the  desert,  and  with  but  a  single  attend- 
ant, he  was  attacked  with  this  dreadful  disease.  Fearful  of 
contagion,  his  attendant  pitched  his  tent  some  distance  off,  and 
promised,  in  the  event  of  his  death,  to  secure  his  journal,  and 
forward  it  to  some  of  his  missionary  brethren.  But,  after  two 
days'  suffering,  he  was  able,  though  in  very  great  weakness, 
to  proceed  on  his  journey. 

At  length,  in  1848,  he  found  himself,  in  the  providence  of 
Grod,  at  Aintab,  about  seventy  miles  north  of  Aleppo.  In  con- 
sequence of  his  peculiar  adaptation  to  different  fields,  he  had 


REV.  AZARTAH  SMITH  QOQ 

labored  for  longer  or  shorter  periods  as  a  pioneer,  but  here  was 
to  be  his  missionary  home.  He  had  preferred  to  commence 
the  life  of  a  missionary  unmarried ;  but  now  that  his  circum- 
stances seemed  to  render  a  change  desirable,  he  once  more  turn- 
ed liis  face  toward  America,  where  he  arrived  May  23d ;  and, 
on  the  6th  of  July,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Corinth  S.  Elder, 
of  Gourtlandville,  Xew  York.  The  same  week  it  was  the  de- 
lightful pri%"ilege  of  the  writer  to  meet  him  on  one  of  the  Xorth 
River  steam-boats  on  his  way  to  Boston,  where  he  was  to  em- 
bark for  Smyrna  and  Constantinople,  Tsever  shall  we  forget 
the  earnestness  with  which  he  entered  into  the  now  so  well 
known  history  of  the  Church  at  Aintab,  and  the  lofty  enthusi- 
asm with  which  he  expressed  his  hopes  for  the  progress  of  the 
Gospel  there.  Strange  to  say,  however,  he  seemed  utterly  un- 
conscious that  he  had  any  such  enthusiasm  I  In  the  last  let- 
ter we  received  from  him,  he  says,  "I  feel  deeply  j/iy  want  of 
earnestness  :  and  though  I  shall  never,  probably,  impart  that 
fire  to  my  eft'orts  that  one  of  a  warmer  temperament  might, 
yet  I  pray  that  the  flame  may  be  ever  on  the  increase,  until 
this  corruptible  shall  put  on  incorruption."  Feeling  as  one 
who  was  soon  to  give  an  account  of  his  stewardship,  and  who 
wished  to  have  his  work  well  done,  he  was  continually  ••  for- 
getting the  things  that  are  behind."  At  Aintab,  he  was  in 
just  the  spot  in  which  he  wished  to  be.  "  ^ith  ten  or  fifteen 
thousand  Armenian  Christians  in  this  city  of  twic«  that  Mo- 
hammedan population,  we  have  a  wide  field  at  home ;  and 
with  several  times  fifteen  thousand  Christians  in  other  cities 
within  reach,  none  of  which  are  occupied  by  evangelical  labor- 
ers, only  as  we  occupy  them,  we  have  a  foreign  field  large 
enough  to  wear  out  the  most  untiring  energy  of  several  men. 


324  ^^^'  -^ZARIAH  SMITH. 

"I  am  now,"  he  continued,  "  about  to  use  a  little  of  what  the 
Lord  has  given  me  in  building  a  room  for  a  chapel  which  will 
contain  three  or  four  hundred  persons.  You  can  not  imagine 
the  kind  of  Christians  I  have  around  me.  Women  who  earn 
their  living  by  spinning  for  two  cents  a  day  contribute  to  the 
Grospel  from  one  to  six  cents  monthly ;  and  I  assure  you  I  do 
not  believe  there  is  a  church  or  congregation  in  America  that 
does,  proportionally,  for  benevolent  objects,  what  our  people 
are  doing  !  Alas  !  alas !  when  gold  mines  are  to  be  found, 
you  can  spare  hundreds  and  thousands  of  husbands  and  broth- 
ers to  go  to  California  ;  but  the  eye  of  faith  is  so  dimmed  that 
you  do  not  see  that  there  are  unfading  riches  to  be  laid  up  in 
the  treasure-house  of  eternity,  if  you  will  but  cross  the  great 
sea  eastward." 

With  such  evidences  as  these  before  us,  we  can  readily  ad- 
mit the  testimony  of  his  missionary  associates  as  to  the  extra- 
ordinary extent  of  his  general  information;  his  "unwearied 
diligence  ;"  his  "  high  standard  of  piety  ;"  his  eminently  "  be- 
nevolent and  self-denying  spirit ;"  his  entire  consecration  to  the 
great  work  of  spreading  among  the  heathen  the  glorious  Gros- 
pel of  the  blessed  God.  Every  thing  he  knew,  he  knew  thor- 
oughly ;  every  thing  he  did,  he  did  for  permanence — he  did 
"  with  his  might."  Nor  were  his  labors  confined  to  the  mis- 
sionary field  alone.  As  the  author  of  valuable  papers  on  Mete- 
orology and  Syrian  Antiquities,  published  in  the  American  Jour- 
nal of  Science,  he  at  once  took  rank  with  the  best  scholars  in 
our  land,  affording  yet  still  another  proof  for  the  assertion  that 
"never,  since  the  Macedonian  conqueror  filled  the  cabinet  of 
Aristotle,  have  richer  contributions  been  made  to  the  material 
of  the  naturalist  and  geographer  than  are  now  making  by  the 


REV.  AZARIAH  SMITH.  005 

missionaries  of  the  Cross."  The  name  and  labors  of  Azariah 
Smith  will  find  a  worthy  place  with  those  of  Carey,  Hall,  Jud- 
son,  Morrison,  and  others,  benefactors  of  the  race,  "whose  coun- 
try is  the  world — whose  countrymen  are  all  mankind." 

It  only  remains  for  us  to  say  that  he  who  had  so  faithfully 
endeavored  to  live  the  Christian's  life,  died  the  Christian's 
peaceful  and  triumphant  death.  Though  his  illness  (lung  fe- 
ver) was  sudden  and  unexpected,  yet  he  went  down  into  the 
valley  of  the  shadow  of  death  fearing  no  evil.  He  told  his 
people,  his  brethren,  his  family,  not  only  that  he  was  going, 
but  whither  he  was  going.  Fixing  his  eyes  on  a  mirror  in  a 
clock  that  reflected  the  light  from  a  small  window  in  the  up- 
per part  of  the  room  with  almost  dazzling  brightness,  the  ap- 
pearance of  which  was  very  peculiar,  seeming  to  be  at  a  dis- 
tance, and  like  a  bright  window  in  the  heavens,  "  That,"  said 
he,  "  reminds  me  of  the  light  which  the  Christian  beholds  as 
he  enters  '  the  other  world.'  "  "  On  Sabbath,  in  the  forenoon," 
says  Mr.  Crane,  "  he  requested  me  to  pray  with  him  ;  and  im- 
mediately after  I  closed,  he  commenced  and  offered  a  short,  but 
coherent  and  peculiarly  interesting  prayer.  He  began  with  a 
very  free  confession  of  sin  ;  then  expressed  entire  confidence  in 
the  sufficiency  of  the  atoning  blood  of  Christ  to  procure  pardon  ; 
then  immediately  exclaimed,  in  view  of  the  benignity  of  G-od, 
'  We  see  thy  goodness  ;  we  see  thy  love ;  we  see  thy  mercy, 
and  tenderness,  and  compassion !'  and  closed  by  casting  all  on 
Christ,  whose  blood  is  sufficient  to  cleanse  from  all  sin.  Some 
time  afterward,  he  was  heard  by  Mrs.  Smith  to  repeat  the  third 
and  fourth  verses  of  the  1st  chapter  of  Peter,  and  then  added, 
'Prepare  for  this  inheritance  I'  Tuesday  morning,  June  3d, 
1851,  he  made  several  unsuccessful  eftbrts  to  speak  ;  and  after 


326  REV.  AZARIAH  SMITH. 

painful  struggles,  which  amounted  almost  to  agony,  in  the  after 
part  of  the  day,  he  gave  utterance,  in  Turkish  (which  he  seemed 
to  find  less  ditlicult  of  enunciation  than  English),  to  the  emo- 
tions of  his  departing  spirit,  in  view  of  the  glory  ahout  to  burst 
on  his  wondering  vision,  '  Joy,  joy  I  Praise,  praise  I  Amen  !' 
His  countenance  seemed  to  indicate  consciousness  till  six  P.M., 
when  he  gently  fell  asleep." 

His  remains,  accompanied  by  six  or  seven  hundred  greatly 
afflicted  citizens,  were  deposited  in  the  Protestant  burying- 
ground  by  the  side  of  his  only  child. 

Fair  rose  his  sun  of  life  ! — few  such 

Indeed  ! — to  set  at  noon  ; 
His  Master  must  have  loved  him  much, 

To  call  him  home  so  sonn  ! 


DAVID  ABEEL. 


Fac  Simile  extract  from  Letter  to  his  Mother. 


{/Cy^ aM^  /^^^2-^-r^^^/^^^^- 


'h^^^^    /-  zTtw-^^^^L::^  ''r^ 


^y^   /^U^^AaJP. 


REV.  DAVID   ABEEL,  D.D., 

AMERICAN     BOARD     OF, COMMISSIONERS     FOR     FOREIGN     MISSIONS. 

BY     REV.    T.    E.    VERMILYE,    D.  D., 
New  York 

J.  HE  Reformed  Dutch  Church  of  North  America  traces  its 
origin  to  the  Reformed  Church  of  Holland,  and  claims  the 
high  honor  of  having  first  introduced  Christianity  to  this  West- 
ern Continent.  Before  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims  on  Plym- 
outh Rock,  and  with  a  piety  as  fervent  as  that  which  after* 
ward  animated  them  when  they  laid  the  foundations  of  New 
England's  glory  in  the  Church  and  the  school-house,  the  early 
settlers  of  New  Amsterdam  had  brought  hither  their  church 
organization ;  and  as  soon  as  circumstances  would  allow,  they 


330  REV.  DAVID  ABEEL 

also  established  their  common  school  for  the  training  of  the 
youth  of  both  sexes  in  secular,  and  especially  in  religious 
knowledge.  The  first  church  they  founded  still  exists,  by  reg- 
ular succession,  in  the  Collegiate  Dutch  Church  of  the  city  of 
New  York  ;  and  the  school  is  perpetuated  in  their  Parochial 
School,  which,  after  the  lapse  of  more  than  two  centuries,  con- 
tinues to  flourish  among  the  best  the  city  can  boast. 

The  Dutch  Church  is  Presbyterian  in  its  system  of  govern- 
ment, and  strictly  Calvinistic  in  its  creed.  Its  symbols  of  doc- 
trine are  the  Articles  adopted  by  the  famous  Synod  of  Dort, 
which  all  its  ministers,  before  ordination,  are  required  to  sub- 
scribe. Yet,  while  exacting  of  all  within  its  own  limits  a  te- 
nacious adherence  to  its  avowed  principles,  it  has  never  failed 
to  extend  to  Christians  of  all  other  denominations  the  fraternal 
recognition  and  good  offices  which  so  strikingly  characterized 
and  ennobled  the  Church  of  Holland  at  the  period  of  the  Ref- 
ormation. And  at  this  day,  among  co-religionists  of  various 
classes,  it  has  a  marked  and  well-known  reputation  for  the 
maintenance  of  evangelical  truth  without  intolerance ;  for 
earnest  piety  without  fanaticism  or  moroseness  ;  and  for  be- 
neficence by  no  means  confined  to  merely  sectarian  limits  and 
objects. 

At  their  first  settlement,  and  even  down  to  the  Revolution, 
the  colonists  were  obliged  to  depend  upon  Holland  for  the  ed- 
ucation and  ordination  of  their  ministers.  From  this  fact,  and 
from  experience  of  their  own  wants,  a  love  for  the  missionary 
enterprise  was  early  engendered  in  the  Dutch  Church.  And, 
although  the  continued  use  of  the  Dutch  language  in  their 
families  and  in  public  services,  long  after  it  had  been  sup- 
planted by  the  English  as  the  common,  spoken  language  of 


REV.  DAVID   ABEEL.  ogi 

the  provinces,  had  the  effect  greatly  to  circumscribe  the  influ- 
ence and  to  retard  the  advancement  of  the  denomination,  an 
effect  it  has  not  ceased  to  feel  even  to  this  day,  yet  the  mis- 
sionary spirit  has  never  died  out  in  its  bosom ;  at  home  and 
abroad,  alone  and  in  connection  with  others,  it  has  from  time 
to  time  contributed  of  its  substance,  and  put  forth  efforts  to 
spread  the  savor  of  Christ's  name  among  the  destitute. 

Before  any  regular  church  organization  for  conducting  For- 
eign Missions,  several  of  the  children  of  the  Dutch  Church  had 
gone  forth  to  the  heathen ;  foremost  among  whom  were  Dr. 
Scudder  and  family,  of  the  Ceylon  Mission,  and  subsequently 
David  Abeel.  A  growing  feeling  of  duty  and  desire  on  this 
subject  led  the  Church,  in  1832,  to  the  formation  of  a  distinct 
Board  for  that  department  of  Christian  benevolence,  which  was 
made  auxiliary  to  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for 
Foreign  Missions,  by  whose  agency  the  work  has  ever  since 
been  prosecuted.  Highly  qualified  and  devoted  missionaries 
have  entered  this  field  ;  some  of  whom,  amid  the  toils  and  dis- 
couragements of  this  self-denying  service,  still  labor  on  in  faith 
and  in  hope  ;  and  others,  Abeel,  Thompson,  and  Pohlman,  have 
already  fallen  asleep  in  Jesus,  leaving  memories  fragrant  as  the 
breath  of  morning  ;  examples  which,  we  trust,  will  yet  become 
eflicient  for  good  in  a  higher  consecration  of  the  Church  at 
home,  and  in  the  salvation  of  many  poor,  perishing  heathen 
abroad.     Being  dead,  they  yet  speak. 

The  Rev.  DAvm  Abeel,  D.D.,  the  subject  of  the  following 
brief  sketch,  was  born  in  the  city  of  New  Brunswick,  New  Jer- 
sey, on  the  12th  day  of  June,  1804.  His  family  on  the  father's 
side,  who  is  represented  to  have  been  a  man  of  unusual  energy 
and  courage,  and  great  moral  worth,  was  from  Amsterdam, 


220  REV.  DAVID  ABEEL. 

Holland ;  and  the  name  has,  in  this  country,  heen  torne  by 
several  who  attained  to  high  respectability  in  various  walks  of 
life.  His  mother  was  Jane  Hassert,  of  New  Brunswick,  a 
woman  of  great  natural  sweetness  and  benevolence  of  temper, 
elevated  and  refined  by  fervent  and  consistent  piety.  From 
personal  knowledge  of  the  missionary,  we  judge  that  there  was 
in  him  an  exceedingly  happy  combination  of  the  characteristic 
qualities  of  both  parents :  a  clear  intellect,  and  great  decision 
and  strength  of  will,  blended  with  a  most  affectionate  and  gen- 
tle disposition ;  qualifying  him  to  win  the  love  while  he  com- 
manded the  respect  of  his  fellow-men  ;  and,  when  grace  should 
have  done  its  renewing  work,  to  become  the  missionary  whose 
heart  overflowed  with  tenderness  for  the  heathen,  and  whose 
unabating  zeal  expended  itself  in  life-exhausting  labors. 

The  early  years  of  David  Abeel  were  not  marked  by  any  un- 
common events,  nor,  so  far  as  is  now  known,  by  any  very  pe- 
culiar religious  impressions.  His  youthful  vivacity  was  great, 
and  displayed  itself  in  the  usual  boyish  freaks  and  athletic  ex- 
ercises. At  the  age  of  fifteen,  led  in  some  degree,  probably,  by 
the  example  of  his  father,  who  had  been  a  prominent  officer  in 
the  navy  of  the  United  States  during  the  Revolutionary  war, 
he  sought  admittance  to  the  Academy  at  "West  Point,  design- 
ing to  pursue  a  military  life.  But  He  who  had  separated  him 
from  his  mother's  womb  to  be  a  soldier  of  the  Cross,  disappoint- 
ed his  desires  in  this  respect ;  and  not  long  after,  when  about 
sixteen,  and  while  turning  his  attention  to  medical  studies,  his 
mind  was  effectually  wrought  upon  by  Divine  truth,  and  per- 
manently turned  unto  God.  His  convictions  of  sin  seem  to 
have  been  pungent  and  soul-subduing.  The  law  set  home  its 
sanctions  with  terrific  power.     Conscience  was  overwhelmed 


REV.  DAVID  ABEEL.  QQQ 

with  sight  of  the  transgressions  of  his  past  life  and  the  natural 
depravity  of  his  heart.  During  these  disclosures  of  his  spirit- 
ual defects,  he  was  subjected  to  a  painful  and  protracted  agony. 
Nor  was  he  allowed,  by  the  blessed  Physician  who  wounds  to 
heal,  and  who  was  preparing  his  young  servant  for  peculiar 
paths  of  usefulness,  to  adopt  superficial  views  of  his  ill  desert, 
nor  to  satisfy  his  mind  with  a  hope  hastily  entertained,  and 
which  might  rest  on  no  solid  foundation.  The  wise  and  faith- 
ful counsels  of  Dr.  Livingston,  to  whom  he  applied  for  instruc- 
tion, were  invaluable ;  and  probably,  under  God,  were  the 
means,  at  that  critical  period,  of  leading  young  Abeel  to  that 
complete  self-renunciation,  that  unreserved  dependence  upon 
the  Savior,  that  high  standard  of  Christian  attainment,  which 
afterward  so  beautifully  appeared  as  the  distinct  features  of 
his  religious  character,  and  so  eminently  qualified  him  for  his 
special  work. 

He  was  not  now  slow  in  deciding  what  should  be  the  busi- 
ness of  his  future  life.  G-od,  he  hoped,  had  revealed  his  Son 
in  him,  and  he  longed  to  preach  Christ  crucified  to  others. 
From  the  first,  he  evidently  aimed  to  make  his  consecration  to 
Grod's  service  final  and  complete,  and  he  felt  that  the  Gospel 
ministry  alone  could  give  scope  and  exercise  to  the  new-born 
desires  of  his  soul.  Accordingly,  in  the  autumn  of  1823,  he 
commenced  his  theological  course  in  the  Seminary  at  New 
Brunswick,  and,  at  the  expiration  of  three  years,  was  licensed 
to  preach,  on  the  20th  of  April,  1826.  Almost  immediately  he 
was  appointed  to  labor  in  the  village  of  Athens,  Greene  coun- 
ty. New  York  ;  and  in  October,  1826,  was  ordained  by  the 
reverend  Classis  of  Rensselaer  to  the  work  of  the  Gospel  min- 
istry as  an  evangelist.     The  place  to  which  he  was  thus  di- 


334  REV.  DAVID  ABE  EL. 

reeled  as  his  first  sphere  of  labor  was  desolate  indeed.  The 
service  required  was  of  a  strictly  missionary  nature,  well 
adapted  to  try  the  qualities  and  to  train  the  spirit  of  the  young 
pastor.  He  was  in  labors  most  abundant,  and  not  a  few  were 
hopefully  converted  in  that  unpromising  field.  For  two  years 
and  a  half  he  remained  at  Athens,  much  occupied  with  pas- 
toral duties,  and  much  engaged  in  the  cultivation  of  personal 
religion,  when  failing  health,  the  incipient  stages  of  the  dis- 
ease which,  after  long-protracted  sufferings,  carried  him  to  his 
grave,  compelled  him  to  resign  his  charge  and  seek  restoration 
by  travel. 

The  subject  of  Foreign  Missions  seems  early  to  have  engaged 
Mr.  Abeel's  thoughts.  He  says,  "  When  in  the  Seminary,  my 
attention  was  awakened  to  this  subject,  and  ever  since  it  has 
been  a  matter  of  the  deepest  interest  to  me.  I  think  the  in- 
telligence from  the  Sandwich  Islands  was  the  instrumental 
cause  of  enlisting  my  feelings  in  behalf  of  the  important  ob- 
ject. Since  I  have  been  at  Athens,  my  mind  has  been  fre- 
quently and  seriously  exercised  in  relation  to  my  duty  on  this 
subject."  The  writer  of  these  lines  remembers,  about  this 
time,  to  have  met,  on  board  the  steam-boat  from  Albany  to 
New  York,  a  young  ministerial  brother,  about  his  own  age, 
pallid  with  disease,  yet  of  most  engaging  countenance  and 
manners,  whose  conversation  was  all  of  Foreign  Missions.  It 
was  his  first  interview  with  David  Abeel,  then  thinking  of  the 
missionary  life.  Twenty  years  later,  it  was  a  mournful  privi- 
lege, at  the  meeting  of  the  American  Board  in  New  Haven,  to 
pronounce  a  short  eulogium  on  the  character  and  services  of 
the  same  beloved  brother,  just  taken  from  terrestrial  toils  to 
his  rest  above. 


REV.  DA  VID  ABEEL. 


335 


While  at  Athens,  his  mind  seems  to  have  come  to  a  decision 
as  to  his  particular  duty  in  regard  to  this  momentous  question. 
He  believed  that  he  ought  "  to  preach  among  the  Grentiles  the 
unsearchable  riches  of  Christ ;"  but  declining  health,  and 
other  obstacles,  for  a  time  prevented  him  from  carrying  his 
w^ell-considered  purpose  into  immediate  effect.  The  winter  of 
1828  he  spent  in  the  island  of  St.  John's.  On  his  return, 
Providence  unexpectedly  opening  the  way,  he  departed  from 
New  York  for  Canton,  in  company  with  the  Rev.  Mr.  Bridg- 
man,  also  a  missionary,  in  October,  1829.  Thus  was  the  long- 
cherished  wish  of  his  heart  gratified.  At  length  he  was  on  his 
way  to  the  heathen.  He  went  out  as  chaplain,  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Seaman's  Friend  Society ;  but,  at  the  expira- 
tion of  a  year  of  labor  at  Canton  in  that  capacity,  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  care  of  the  American  Board.  He  then  visited 
Java,  and  crossed  to  Batavia  by  land,  whence,  after  several 
months' sojourn  in  the  family  of  Mr.  Medhurst,  aiding  him  in 
his  missionary  work,  and  studying  the  Chinese  language,  he 
sailed  to  Singapore,  and  thence  to  Siam,  where  he  remained 
six  months,  performing  the  duties  of  a  diligent  and  devoted 
missionary.  At  these  several  places  he  labored  at  different 
times,  and  apparently  with  very  considerable  success,  notwith- 
standing frequent  and  complete  prostration  of  body  and  mind 
by  wasting  disease  ;  but  his  strength  failing  utterly,  he  was 
compelled,  in  1833,  to  embark  for  his  native  land.  He  re- 
turned by  the  way  of  England,  where,  as  also  in  Holland, 
France,  and  Switzerland,  he  awakened  much  interest  by  his 
private  intercourse,  and  the  spreading  of  missionary  intelli- 
gence. 

To  illustrate  the  character  of  his  influence  and  labors,  we 


22Q  REV.  DAVID  ABEEL. 

quote  from  a  letter  written  by  a  Christian  lady  whose  hospi- 
tality he  enjoyed  while  in  England  : 

"  Twelve  years  have  elapsed  since  his  brief  sojourn  in  this 
land  ;  but  none  who  had  the  privilege  of  knowing  him  then  are 
likely  to  forget  him,  for  he  was  indeed  '  a  burning  and  a  shin- 
ing light.'  He  came  to  us  immediately  on  his  arrival  from 
the  East,  worn  by  disease,  and  apparently  disqualified  for  act- 
ive service.  Such  was  his  prevailing  spirituality  of  mind  and 
devotedness  to  the  Redeemer's  cause,  that  it  was  impossible  to 
be  within  the  circle  of  his  influence  without  deriving  advant- 
age from  it.  There  was  nothing  austere,  narrow-minded,  or 
extravagant  in  his  religion.  There  was  a  beautiful  symmetry, 
a  holiness,  refinement,  and  tenderness  about  it,  which  struck 
the  most  ungodly.  Every  one  felt  that  he  was  in  earnest,  that 
he  had  a  deep  enjoyment  of  divine  things,  and  an  aptitude  to 
seize  upon  every  occasion  of  usefulness,  far  beyond  what  is 
usually  attained.  There  was  in  his  character  that  combina- 
tion of  faith,  hope,  and  charity,  which  the  Apostle  Paul  so  well 
delineates ;  and,  as  it  regarded  his  daily  life,  it  might  indeed 
be  said  that  he  '  walked  in  the  Spirit.'  During  his  abode  in 
our  family,  his  physical  debility  and  sufferings  were  at  times 
great ;  but  he  knew  how  to  rejoice  in  tribulation,  and  could 
say  from  the  heart,  '  The  will  of  the  Lord  be  done.'  Often, 
after  seasons  of  pain  and  exhaustion,  he  would  ask  one  of  us 
to  read  him  a  portion  of  the  Bible,  and  as  he  became  interested 
in  the  subject,  his  spirits  gradually  revived.  It  was  his  cus- 
tom, while  rising  of  a  morning,  to  sing  a  hymn ;  and  he  al- 
ways left  his  Bible  open  on  his  dressing-table,  that,  whenever 
he  went  into  his  room,  some  passage  of  divine  truth  might  ar- 
rest his  eye.     At  the  breakfast-table  he  generally  asked  what 


REV.  DAVID  ABEEL  oo,y 

we  had  been  reading  in  our  closets  ;  and,  whether  others  were 
prepared  or  not,  he  was  always  ready  to  furnish  his  quota 
of  spiritual  entertainment.  This  plan  greatly  interested  the 
younger  members  of  our  family,  and  even  the  servants  linger- 
ed in  the  room  at  meal-times  to  catch  some  gracious  word  that 
fell  from  his  lips.  During  his  voyage  from  China,  he  had  been 
useful  to  three  persons  on  board  the  vessel ;  and  while  he  was 
in  England,  the  same  success  attended  his  efforts  to  win  souls 
to  Jesus.  To  more  than  one  individual  in  our  circle  he  be- 
came peculiarly  endeared  as  a  father  in  Christ ;  and  to  others 
he  lent  the  helping  hand,  and  was  regarded  by  them  in  every 
sense  as  a  brother  and  friend.  I  might  introduce  many  touch- 
ing incidents  which  are  engraven  on  their  hearts,  but  I  forbear. 
I  would,  however,  notice  one  point  of  no  small  importance,  as 
accounting  for  his  remarkable  success.  He  was  unusually  de- 
voted to  prayer.  He  could  indeed  say,  '  For  this  thing  I  pray- 
ed,' for  there  was  nothing  vague  or  indefinite  in  his  petitions. 
Usually  he  spent  some  time  in  his  chamber  toward  noon,  for 
the  purpose  of  remembering  certain  individuals  on  whose  con- 
version his  heart  was  set ;  and  at  other  times  he  would  unite 
with  Christian  friends  for  this  same  purpose.  He  loved  to 
speak  of  heaven,  for  it  was  a  theme  on  which  he  was  peculiar- 
ly at  home.  His  favorite  view  of  it  was  that  of  being  with 
Christ  to  behold  His  glory.  At  that  time  he  scarcely  expect- 
ed to  reach  America,  much  less  to  return  to  China ;  but  he 
was  always  urging  upon  us  to  do  our  utmost  for  that  vast  land. 
His  representations  of  the  state  of  the  heathen,  and  of  the  re- 
sponsibility of  the  Christian  Church,  were  most  solemn  and 
affecting.  He  had  no  sympathy  with  a  hollow,  half-hearted 
attachment  to  the  cause  of  Christ.     His  had  never  been  the 

Y 


^OQ  REV.  DAVID   ABEEL. 

'  middle  walk  of  Christianity  ;'  having  himself  forsaken  all  for 
Christ,  he  could  and  did  insist,  in  every  case,  upon  the  same 
surrender.  Not  in  private  life  alone,  but  at  the  anniversary  of 
our  Bible  Society  at  Exeter  Hall,  he  came  forward,  notwith- 
standing his  weakness,  and  challenged  the  young  students  in 
our  colleges  to  join  the  missionary  host.  I  think  I  see  and  hear 
him  now,  turning  to  them,  and  saying,  with  unusual  energy, 
'  And  who  has  given  you  a  dispensation  to  remain  at  home, 
when  the  whole  world  is  calling  so  loudly  for  assistance  V 

"  Before  he  quitted  England,  he  united  with  the  Rev.  Bap- 
tist Noel  and  a  few  ladies  in  forming  the  Society  for  promot- 
ing Female  Education  in  China  and  the  East.  The  first  ap- 
peal was  drawn  up  by  him,  and  the  profits  of  his  Missionary 
Narrative  were  devoted  to  its  support.  Nearly  forty  ladies,  of 
different  denominations,  have  been  sent  out  as  the  result  of  this 
effort,  and  much  assistance  has  been  rendered  in  other  ways 
toward  the  encouragement  of  mission  schools. 

"  As  the  time  drew  near  for  his  departure,  our  intercourse 
became  increasingly  serious  and  prayerful.  We  felt  it  very 
unlikely  that  we  should  meet  again  in  this  world,  and  from 
the  maturity  of  his  Christian  character  it  appeared  as  if  he 
might  soon  be  summoned  to  his  heavenly  home.  Never  can  I 
forget  the  energy  with  which  he  continually  spoke  of  the  be- 
liever's privileges  and  responsibilities.  Indeed,  his  whole  resi- 
dence under  our  roof  formed  an  appropriate  comment  upon  that 
passage,  '  Be  not  forgetful  to  entertain  strangers,  for  thereby 
some  have  entertained  angels  unawares.'  " 

In  America,  though  bowed  down  by  continued  ill  health,  he 
yet  accomplished  a  vast  amount  of  labor,  and  was  greatly  use- 
ful in  stirring  up  the  missionary  spirit  among  the  churches  and 


REV.  DAVID  ABKEL.  qqq 

theological  seminaries,  and  especially  in  the  Seminary  at  New 
Brunswick ;  that  place,  at  that  time,  enjoying  a  most  cheer- 
ing revival  of  religion.  He  also  "  contributed  to  the  cause  of 
missions  by  writing  a  description  of  his  residence  in  China  and 
the  adjacent  countries  during  his  first  visit  to  the  East,  and  by 
publishing  a  work  advocating  the  importance  of  the  great  ob- 
ject to  which  he  had  devoted  his  life,  entitled  '  The  Claims  of 
the  World  to  the  Gospel.'  The  former  work  was  published 
soon  after  his  return  from  China  in  1835 ;  the  latter  shortly 
previous  to  his  departure  for  Canton  in  1838.  His  '  Residence 
in  China'  discovers  a  quick  apprehension,  and  a  just  perception 
of  the  beautiful  and  the  repulsive  in  nature  and  in  morals. 
His  '  Discussion  on  Missions'  bespeaks  close  discrimination,  ac- 
curate representation,  with  candid  and  powerful  argumenta- 
tion."* 

Yet  his  soul  longed  for  personal  labors  among  the  heathen. 
Twice  he  made  his  preparations  to  return  to  China,  and  was 
prevented  by  severe  illness.  At  length,  however,  in  October, 
1838,  he  a  second  time  sailed  from  New  York,  and  reached 
Canton  in  February,  1839.  Grreat  were  the  changes  which  had 
occurred  during  his  absence,  and  great  the  difficulties  which 
impeded  the  missionaries,  owing  to  the  opium  war  between  the 
English  and  the  Chinese.  Dr.  Abeel  availed  himself  of  the 
opportunity,  created  by  these  unforeseen  obstructions  to  his 
proper  work,  to  perform  an  extensive  missionary  tour.  He  vis- 
ited Malacca,  Borneo,  and  other  places ;  examined  the  fitness 
of  Kolongsoo  for  a  mission  station  ;  and  at  length  settled  there, 
laboring  alone  for  two  months,  until  joined  by  the  brethren 
Pohlman  and  Doty,  whom  his  own  Church  had  sent  to  his  aid, 
*  Funeral  Discourse  of  Mr.  Abeel,  by  Isaac  N.  Wyckoff,  D.D. 


340  REV.  DAVID  ABEEL. 

with  the  intention,  if  possible,  of  forming  a  Dutch  church  mis- 
sion. Again  his  health  gave  way.  And  after  trying  the  effi- 
cacy of  short  sea  voyages,  in  the  hope  of  thus  being  enabled  to 
remain  on  the  field,  and  receiving  no  permanent  benefit,  he  was 
finally  forced,  in  January,  1845,  to  set  sail,  with  but  faint  expec- 
tation of  ever  reaching  America,  or  enjoying  the  sympathizing 
attentions  of  kindred  and  friends,  and  dying  amid  the  scenes 
and  associations  of  his  native  land.  He,  however,  did  survive 
the  passage ;  revisited  the  home  of  his  youth,  from  which  both 
parents  had  been  called  away  during  his  absence.  For  a  year, 
as  his  strength  would  allow,  he  traveled  from  place  to  place, 
blessing  the  friends  with  whom  he  associated  by  his  godly  con- 
versation and  most  Christian  example  ;  with  a  submissive  will, 
in  the  serenity  of  faith  and  the  patience  of  hope,  waiting  until 
his  change  should  come.  He  expired  at  the  Manor  House  in 
Albany,  where  he  had  often  enjoyed  the  comforts  of  a  refined 
Christian  hospitality,  on  the  4th  of  September,  1846,  aged  forty- 
two  years.  His  remains  were  brought  to  Brooklyn,  and  in- 
terred in  the  Greenwood  Cemetery.  A  plain  monument,  erect- 
ed by  Christian  friends,  arrests  the  steps  of  the  stranger  as  he 
wanders  over  those  beautiful  grounds ;  and  its  simple  inscrip- 
tion tells  him  that  beneath  it,  in  hope  of  a  joyful  resurrection, 
reposes  all  that  was  mortal  of  thk  beloved  Abeel. 

This  rapid  review  of  his  life  and  labors  gives  but  an  imper- 
fect idea  of  the  character  and  usefulness  of  Dr.  Abeel ;  and  a 
few  words  may  be  allowed  more  distinctly  to  present  his  men- 
tal and  moral  lineaments  to  the  reader's  mind.  AVhile  there 
was,  then,  no  deficiency,  yet  there  was  nothing  very  remark- 
able in  his  intellectual  conformation :  no  uncommon  reason- 
ing powers,  no  lofty  imagination,  no  brilliant  conceptions,  nor 


REV.  DAVID  ABEEL.  QA1 

force  of  utterance,  to  mark  him  for  a  great  man  in  the  worldly 
use  of  the  phrase.  He  never,  probably,  could  have  risen  high 
as  an  original  or  profound  thinker  or  writer.  He  was  not  a 
genius.  Yet  he  had,  what  is  ordinarily  vastly  more  conducive 
to  the  usefulness  of  the  possessor  and  the  good  of  the  world, 
that  felicitous  blending  and  balancing  of  the  solid  qualities  of 
mind  which  constitute  what  is  called  strong  common  sense. 
His  judgment  was  sound  and  reliable,  and  his  skill  and  effi- 
ciency in  practical  affairs  prompt  and  admirable.  His  affec- 
tions were  pure,  and  true,  and  strong.  His  heart  was  full  of 
genial  warmth,  giving  him,  in  social  intercourse,  and  in  public 
action  and  address,  a  controlling  influence  over  the  sympathies 
of  those  around  him.  He  was  of  the  school  of  John,  "  that 
disciple  whom  Jesus  loved."  The  fact  that  his  friends  always 
speak  of  him  by  the  simple  designations  "  David  Abeel,"  "  The 
beloved  Abeel,"  of  itself  indicates  the  endearing  character,  and 
the  kind  of  power  which  belonged  to  him.  And  his  gentle, 
noiseless,  persevering,  unconquerable  spirit,  accomplished  re- 
sults which  often  surprised  those  who  had  occasion  to  observe 
his  operations.  But  it  was  divine  grace  that  gave  direction 
and  force  to  his  natural  endowments.  His  piety  was  simple 
and  ardent.  He  cultivated  his  own  heart  by  prayer,  self-ex- 
amination, and  the  appropriate  means  of  spiritual  improvement, 
with  uncommon  diligence  ;  and  came  to  possess  in  an  eminent 
degree  a  self-renouncing,  obedient,  holy,  loving  temper.  His 
Savior  and  the  souls  of  men  ;  the  spiritual  good  of  the  poor 
heathen,  were  with  him  the  great  objects  of  love  and  desire, 
and  hence  he  had  power  with  G-od  and  with  men. 

His  usefulness  was  great.     While  at  Athens,  souls  were 
given  to  him  as  the  seals  of  his  ministry.     And  though  a  mar- 


2^2  REV.  DAVID  ABEEL. 

tyr  to  disease  for  the  residue  of  his  days,  yet  his  spirit  and  zeal 
were  unabated.  In  his  various  missionary  labors  he  is  repre- 
sented to  have  accomplished  great  good.  At  home  he  certain- 
ly was  the  instrument  of  awakening  the  missionary  spirit  in 
his  own  Church  and  in  the  Theological  Seminary,  and  of  en- 
gaging several  young  men  to  devote  themselves  to  the  foreign 
missionary  work.  The  gifts  which  the  sovereign  Lord  dis- 
penses are  various,  and  all  are  to  be  employed  to  his  glory. 
That  peculiar  courtesy  and  refinement  of  address  which  fitted 
Dr.  Abeel  to  fhove  among  the  cultivated  and  polite  classes 
were  used  by  him  in  that  sphere  with  great  effect  to  the  end 
of  edification.  And  many  such  persons,  several  known  to  the 
writer,  in  social  intercourse  first  won  by  his  kind,  attractive 
manners,  and  then  awakened  and  impressed  by  his  faithful  ad- 
monitions, will  have  reason  to  bless  God  throughout  eternity 
for  their  acquaintance  with  this  holy  man.  Heaven  will  dis- 
close the  valuable  results  of  his  simple,  unostentatious  devo- 
tion, truly  acting  out  the  sentiment  of  Paul,  "  One  thing  I  do." 
Splendid  worldly  triumphs  did  not  mark  his  way.  But  how 
sweet  the  thought  that  from  far  distant  parts  of  the  globe, 
from  America,  and  England,  and  China,  the  Savior's  ransomed 
ones  shall  greet  this  faithful  missionary  on  the  shores  of  life, 
and  converted  souls  from  various  climes  shall  be  crowns  of  his 
rejoicing  in  that  day. 


FREDERICK  B.  THOMSON. 


Fac  Simile  extract  from  Letter  to  Rev.  Dr.  Dewitt. 


^-^^-^^p-fA -^ 


REV.  FREDERICK   B.  THOMSON, 

AMERICAN     BOARD     OF     COMMISSIONERS     FOR     FOREIGN     MISSION' S 

BY     REV.    A.    V.    WYCKOFF, 

Dearman,  N.  Y. 

Frederick  bordine  Thomson  was  the  eldest  son 

of  Archibald  and  Maria  Thomson,  and  was  born  in  the  city  of 
New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  on  the  5th  day  of  November, 
1809.  In  his  early  life,  he  evinced  unusual  thoughtfulness 
and  seriousness,  and  gave  promise  of  that  admirable  character 
for  persevering  piety  and  Christian  industry  which  was  after- 
ward so  remarkably  developed.  His  first  religious  impressions 
date  very  early,  but  it  was  in  the  Sabbath-school,  under  the 
instructions  of  a  faithful  teacher,  that  he  became  deeply  exer- 
cised in  mind.  The  storm  within,  however,  after  a  while  was 
quelled,  and,  finding  peace  in  the  Savior,  he  soon  made  a 
public  profession  of  piety,  uniting  with  the  Reformed  Dutch 
Church  in  New  Brunswick.  He  was  soon  after  advised  by  ju- 
dicious friends  to  prepare  himself  for  the  work  of  the  ministry 


346  ^^^-  FREDERICK  B.  THOMSON 

After  many  anxious  thoughts,  he  felt  it  to  be  his  duty  to  fol- 
low their  advice,  and  accordingly  entered  the  preparatory 
school  at  New  Brunswick,  in  the  year  1827,  and  graduated 
from  Rutger's  College,  with  distinguished  honor,  in  July,  1831. 
Pursuing  immediately  his  theological  studies  in  the  Theological 
Seminary  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  at  New  Brunswick, 
he  concluded  the  usual  course  with  the  high  satisfaction  of  his 
preceptors,  and  was  licensed  to  preach  the  Grospel  in  July, 
1834. 

On  the  1st  of  October  of  the  same  year,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Catharine,  eldest  daughter  of  Nicholas  Wyckoff, 
Esq.,  of  New  Brunswick,  and  soon  after  accepted  a  call  from 
the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  of  Upper  Red  Hook,  New  York. 
On  the  12th  of  November  he  was  ordained,  and  installed  pas- 
tor of  this  church.  But  though  surrounded  by  a  kind-hearted 
people,  among  whom  he  had  many  testimonies  to  the  efficiency 
of  his  labors,  Mr.  Thomson  did  not  feel  satisfied  as  to  the  path 
of  duty.  His  mind  was  deeply  agitated  on  the  subject  of 
Foreign  Missions,  and  from  harassing  doubts  he  could  get  no 
respite,  until,  after  many  days  and  months  of  prayer  and  anx- 
ious deliberation,  he  resolved  to  become  a  missionary  to  the 
heathen.  In  a  document,  dated  Middletown,  New  Jersey, 
September  19th,  1837,  he  writes,  "It  is  now  almost  two  years 
since  I  was  brought  to  the  firm  conviction  that  Grod  had  said 
to  me,  in  language  too  plain  to  be  mistaken,  '  Depart,  for  I  will 
send  thee  far  hence  to  the  Grentiles.'  That  conviction  was  not 
cherished  without  the  most  diligent  pains-taking,  and  (as  far 
as  I  can  read  my  own  heart)  honest  examination  of  the  solemn 
subject,  accompanied  with  constant  prayer,  and  dependence 
upon  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Ghost."     And  then  he  enters 


REV.  FREDERICK  B.  THOMSON.  nAty 

upon  a  most  searching  and  minute  review  of  the  whole  matter, 
scrutinizing  every  motive,  weighing  his  own  personal  fitness 
for  the  work,  and  striving  to  bring  out  from  its  hiding-place 
every  lurking  desire  that  was  incompatible  with  the  exercise 
of  the  only  correct  motive.  With  these  views,  feeling  that  he 
was  now  called  upon  to  devote  himself  to  the  great  cause  of 
Foreign  Missions,  Mr.  Thomson  resigned  his  pleasant  charge 
amid  their  regrets  and  tears,  and  removed  from  Red  Hook  in 
the  month  of  November,  1836.  Having  already  with  his  wife 
been  accepted  as  missionaries  by  the  Prudential  Committee  of 
the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions, 
with  a  view  to  labor  in  some  field  that  might  be  opened  in  the 
Indian  Archipelago,  it  was  the  intention  of  the  Board  to  hasten 
their  departure  in  the  following  spring.  During  the  interven- 
ing time,  Mr.  Thomson  was  most  efficiently  engaged  in  pre- 
senting the  cause  of  missions  to  the  Churches,  and  striving  to 
awaken  that  part  of  Zion  with  which  he  was  most  immediate- 
ly connected  to  the  claims  of  duty.  He  was  eminently  suc- 
cessful ;  and  many  an  affecting  reminiscence  is  still  told  of 
him,  as  he  moved  from  flock  to  flock  like  a  burning  and  a 
shining  light.  All  felt  that  he  was  a  holy  man,  upon  whom 
the  Lord  had  poured  his  Spirit  largely ;  and  all  saw  that  he 
was  peculiarly  fitted  for  his  work.  Ecclesiastically  he  was 
under  the  care  of  the  Classis  of  Poughkeepsie,  being  sent  forth 
as  their  missionary,  and  it  was  in  this  body  that  the  greatest 
impression  of  his  labors  was  felt. 

The  next  spring  opened  gloomily.  Disaster  followed  dis- 
aster in  the  commercial  world,  and  this  derangement  in  mone- 
tary affairs  soon  affected  the  finances  of  the  Board.  When  the 
time  appointed  for  sailing  had  arrived,  the  Prudential  Commit- 


^48  ^^^'   FREDERICK  B.  THOMSON. 

tee  found  themselves  unable  to  send  forth  the  large  band  of 
missionaries  then  in  waiting.  The  time  of  Mr.  Thomson's  sail- 
ing was  in  consequence  delayed  for  a  year,  which  he  spent  in 
highly  useful  labors  with  the  congregation  of  Holmdel,  New 
Jersey. 

On  the  25th  of  May,  1838,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomson,  in  com- 
pany with  Messrs.  Pohlman,  Ball,  and  "Wood,  and  their  wives, 
embarked  from  New  York  on  the  ship  Albion,  for  Singapore. 
Their  design  was  to  proceed  from  thence,  as  soon  as  practicable, 
to  the  island  of  Borneo,  or  some  other  eligible  spot  in  the  In- 
dian Archipelago,  which  the  Grod  of  Missions  might  open  for 
their  immediate  labors.  After  a  pleasant  voyage  of  one  hund- 
red and  five  days,  on  the  10th  of  September  they  arrived  at 
Angier,  and  on  the  17th  anchored  in  the  harbor  of  Singapore. 
Not  a  moment  was  lost  in  idle  curiosity,  but  with  character- 
istic energy  and  industry,  Mr.  Thomson  proceeded  at  once  to 
make  arrangements  for  his  labors.  He  took  up  his  residence 
with  Mr.  Doty,  one  of  a  missionary  band  that  two  years  before 
had  gone  from  the  bosom  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  to 
the  Indies. 

On  the  18th  of  December,  the  brethren  forwarded  a  petition 
to  the  Grovernor  Greneral  of  Netherlands  India,  for  a  dispensa- 
tion from  that  restriction  which  makes  it  necessary  that  all 
missionaries,  previous  to  locating  upon  Borneo,  should  spend  at 
least  a  year  in  the  city  of  Batavia.  While  awaiting  the  an- 
swer to  this  petition,  Mr.  Thomson  gave  himself  to  the  acqui- 
sition of  the  Malay  language,  as  it  had  been  determined  that 
he  should  labor  among  the  Dyaks  of  Borneo ;  and  to  give  earn- 
est of  his  work,  we  find  him  very  soon  commencing  the  trans- 
lation of  his  "  Defense  of  the  Integrity  of  the  New  Testament 


REV.  FREDERICK  B.  THOMSON.  OAQ 

"Writings,"  under  the  superintendence  of  Abdullah,  his  Malay 
teacher. 

The  answer  to  the  petition  of  the  brethren  was  delayed  until 
the  following  July,  and  was  then  denied.  Learning  that  a 
dispensation  could  not  be  granted,  Mr.  Thomson  embarked  for 
Batavia,  where  he  arrived  on  the  2d  of  October.  This  was  the 
fifth  anniversary  day  of  his  marriage,  and  we  find  him  fondly 
alluding  to  the  subject,  with  scarce  an  apprehension  of  the  se- 
vere trial  through  which  he  should  soon  be  called  to  pass.  On 
the  16th  of  November  it  pleased  God  to  remove  Mrs.  Thomson 
from  her  earthly  labors,  and  to  leave  her  desolate  partner  a 
stricken  mourner.  She  died,  universally  regretted  at  home 
and  abroad,  leaving  behind  a  savor  of  meek,  unobtrusive  piety, 
and  an  example  of  Christian  energy  and  efficiency  which  finds 
but  few  equals  at  the  present  day.  Staggering  under  the  blow, 
yet  still  upheld  by  a  gracious  God,  our  brother  went  forth 
again  to  his  self-denying  labors.  A  favorite  resort  of  his  was 
the  market,  whither  he  was  accustomed  to  go  early  in  the 
morning  to  distribute  tracts,  and  to  converse  with  the  Ma- 
lays. 

His  was  no  ordinary  devotion  to  the  missionary  work,  as  was 
evinced  by  an  incident  which  took  place  at  this  time.  An  ap- 
parently favorable  opening  for  missionary  labor  in  the  island 
of  Sumatra  had  just  occurred,  and  Mr.  Medhurst  suggested  to 
Mr.  Thomson  whether  he  ought  not  to  consider  it  his  duty  to 
occupy  the  field  thus  providentially  prepared.  The  reply  of 
Mr.  Thomson  was  characteristic :  "  I  think  I  can  truly  say  I 
am  ready,  if  it  is  the  Lord's  will.  It  does,  indeed,  look  ap- 
palling to  anticipate  an  entire  exclusion  from  Christian  ordi- 
nances, and  especially  to  be  destitute  of  a  single  kindred  spirit; 


350  REV.  FREDERICK  B.  THOMSON. 

but  I  know  the  Lord  can  supply  all  my  need.  To  him  I  would 
commit  the  matter."  And  forthwith  the  devoted  missionary 
petitioned  government  for  permission  to  go  to  those  savage 
wilds,  there  to  labor  alone,  if  it  was  the  will  of  the  Master. 
The  answer  to  the  petition,  however,  did  not  appear  favorable. 

On  the  9th  of  November,  1840,  Mr.  Thomson  w^as  again 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Emma  Cecilia  Combe,  a  most  es- 
timable Swiss  lady  of  eminent  piety,  sent  forth  to  labor  in  the 
East  by  the  "  Female  Missionary  Society  of  G-eneva."  Once 
more  enjoying  the  comforts  of  a  happy  domestic  circle,  Mr. 
Thomson  by  no  means  relaxed  the  severity  of  his  labors,  but 
seems  to  have  continued  his  work  with  unsparing  zeal  and 
earnestness. 

Two  years  had  now  nearly  elapsed  since  he  had  landed  at 
Batavia,  and  his  labors  were  suddenly  closed.  On  the  10th  of 
September,  1841,  he  was  called  before  the  Resident  and  or- 
dered to  shut  up  his  school,  and  in  three  weeks  prepare  to  go  to 
Borneo.  On  the  13th  of  the  following  month  he  set  sail  for 
the  scene  of  his  last  labors.  After  a  tedious  and  dangerous 
voyage,  tried  by  many  perplexities,  the  missionary  band  ar- 
rived at  Pontianak  on  the  4th  of  February,  1842,  and  took  up 
their  abode  with  Mr.  Youngblood. 

During  the  months  of  April  and  May  of  the  same  year, 
Messrs.  Thomson  and  Youngblood,  desirous  of  making  their  la- 
bors as  effective  as  possible,  made  a  tour  among  the  Dyaks  to 
learn  their  condition,  and  at  the  same  time  to  observe  the  fa- 
cilities for  missionary  operations  among  them.  The  result  of 
their  observations  is  thus  expressed  in  Mr.  Thomson's  own 
words  :  "  We  are  fully  satisfied  that  there  is  no  apparent  ob- 
stacle to  our  settling  immediately  in  the  midst  of  these  inter- 


REV   FREDERICK  B    THOMSON  Qco 

esting  people,  and  teaching  them  without  reserve  the  principles 
of  the  doctrine  of  Christ."  He  further  says,  "  It  is  our  inten- 
tion, so  soon  as  the  country  is  again  sufficiently  quiet,  to  go  and 
attempt  a  settlement  at  Karangan.  All  things  considered,  we 
judge  this  to  be  the  most  eligible  location  under  the  present 
circumstances."  The  place  thus  selected  as  the  scene  of  many 
interesting  labors,  and  still  remembered  with  interest  by  many 
in  the  Church,  is  situated  upon  the  River  Landak,  distant  about 
eighty  miles  in  a  straight  line  from  Pontianak,  the  nearest  Eu- 
ropean settlement,  and  one  hundred  and  forty  miles  by  the  river, 
the  only  thoroughfare.     Thither,  in  the  month  of  September, 

1842,  our  lonely  missionary  wended  his  way.  There  were  trials 
before  him  which  might  have  appalled  the  stoutest  heart ;  yet, 
often  near  sinking,  he  was  enabled  to  triumph  at  last.  From 
his  home  in  the  midst  of  the  wilderness,  he  writes,  October  9th, 
"  The  standard  of  the  cross  is  at  length  planted  on  the  banks  of 
the  Karangan."  At  length,  after  innumerable  hardships,  baf- 
fled again  and  again  by  the  interminable  delays  of  the  Dyaks, 
and  obliged  to  perform  a  great  part  of  the  labor  with  his  own 
hands,  Mr.  Thomson  succeeded  in  getting  his  house  roofed  and 
one  room  inclosed,  and  immediately  set  out  for  Pontianak  to 
bring  his  family  to  their  new  home.     On  the  18th  of  January, 

1843,  we  find  him  once  more  at  Karangan,  relieved  somewhat 
of  his  loneliness  by  the  presence  of  his  family.  The  mission- 
ary band  was  still  further  increased  in  the  month  of  March  by 
the  arrival  of  Mr.  Youngblood  and  family.  Thus  strength- 
ened, our  brother  ;went  forth  with  renewed  energy  to  his  joy- 
ful toil,  and  when  the  Dyaks  did  not  come  to  his  own  house  in 
as  large  numbers  as  he  wished,  he  would  seek  them  in  their 
homes  ;  and  frequently  alone,  sometimes  accompanied  with  Mr. 

Z 


354  ^^^'   FREDERTCK  B.  THOMSON. 

Youngblood,  he  made  excursions  to  the  various  Dyak  settle- 
ments. 

Affliction  often  quickened  into  exercise  humility,  and  taught 
him  to  look  up  to  his  Master  for  strength.  He  affeoting- 
ly  writes,  October  5th,  "  Our  dear  little  infant,  Emily  Ade- 
line, sleeps  now  in  the  bosom  of  her  mother  earth.  On  a  pret- 
ty little  knoll,  a  few  paces  from  our  back  door,  is  her  lonely 
grave."  In  March  following,  while  the  parents  were  still  in 
grief  for  their  infant,  death  came  again,  and  removed  from  the 
arms  of  a  loving  father  his  second  child,  Eliza.  Sorrowing 
himself,  Mr.  Thomson  was  cheered  to  observe  that  the  repeated 
deaths  in  his  family  had  had  their  effect  upon  the  almost  in- 
sensate hearts  of  the  surrounding  people,  and  he  strove  to 
strengthen  the  impression.  In  the  mean  time  the  mission  had 
received  the  valuable  accession  of  Mr.  Steele  in  the  month  ot 
December,  1843,  but  it  again  suffered  a  severe  loss  in  the 
month  of  March,  1844,  by  the  removal  of  Messrs.  Doty  and 
Pohlman  to  Amoy,  in  China.  Under  these  depressing  circum- 
stances our  brother  still  was  enabled  to  persevere,  and  having 
previously  effected  a  translation  of  Brown's  Catechism,  and  a 
small  Hymn  Book,  in  Dyak,  we  find  him  in  the  same  month 
for  the  first  time  conducting  service  and  preaching  in  the 
tongue  of  the  savages  around  him.  Two  months  after,  he  fin- 
ished the  printing  of  his  little  Hymn  Book,  comprising  about 
twenty  familiar  hymns,  and  remarkable  as  being  the  first  book 
printed  in  the  Dyak  language. 

Again  was  our  brother  called  to  suffer  severe  affliction.  The 
following  is  the  language  of  his  chastened  soul,  under  date  of 
February  5th,  1845 :  "  For  the  last  three  months  and  more 
my  journal  has  been  quite  neglected.     It  seems  that  of  all  the 


REV.  FREDERICK  B.  THOMSON.  OKK 

most  eventful  periods  of  my  life  I  can  keep  no  record.  Here, 
as  I  sit  solitary  and  alone,  stripped  of  all  the  dear  objects  of 
affection  that  were  so  lately  about  me,  I  desire  once  more  to 
begin  anew  my  Christian  pilgrimage."  As  he  started  upon  a 
journey  the  following  day,  his  sad  record  is  that  "  he  had  many 
tender  recollections  upon  his  lonely  situation,  his  poor  mother- 
less children,  the  state  of  the  people  among  whom  he  labored, 
&c.,  and  was  enabled  to  pour  out  his  soul  in  their  behalf  with 
fervor  and  affection."  The  reader  will  infer  from  this  the  na- 
ture of  the  new  affliction  that  brought  him  prostrate  again. 
In  the  month  of  December,  Mrs.  Thomson,  having  been  for 
some  time  quite  indisposed,  concluded  to  journey  to  Pontianak 
for  the  purpose  of  seeking  medical  assistance.  No  apprehen- 
sions were  at  that  time  cherished  of  dangerous  illness,  and  as 
she  insisted,  with  a  noble  sacrifice,  upon  her  husband  remain- 
ing at  his  post,  she  was  suffered  to  depart  in  company  with  her 
children  and  a  native  attendant.  On  her  way,  however,  she 
became  rapidly  worse,  and  by  the  time  the  vessel  had  reached 
Pontianak  she  was  found  to  be  in  a  dying  state.  Mr.  Young- 
blood  hastened  on  board,  but  it  was  too  late.  The  spirit 
of  Emma  Combe  Thomson  had  gone  to  its  rest.  She  had 
breathed  her  last  with  none  near  but  her  babes  and  her  Dyak 
woman.  This  made  the  trial  ten-fold  more  severe  to  her  hus- 
band— that  he  was  not  able  to  speak  one  word  of  consolation, 
or  close  the  eyes  in  a  last  farewell  of  his  beloved  partner.  A 
most  distressing  season  followed  this  dispensation,  and  Mr. 
Thomson,  left  alone  by  the  temporary  absence  of  Mr.  Steele, 
was  seized  with  such  an  alarming  illness,  that  he  was  led  to 
apprehend  his  speedy  death.  No  kind  physician  was  near  to 
administer  the  healing  potion,  but  the  heavenly  Physician 


ggg  REV   FREDERICK  B.  THOMSON 

took  pity  and  restored  his  servant.  New  trials,  however, 
were  making  the  promises  sweet,  and  drawing  him  close  to 
God. 

Again  he  was  called  to  mourn,  for  letters  from  Pontianak 
informed  him  that  Grod  had  taken  his  infant  son  to  himself 
"  My  only  darling  son,"  says  he,  in  the  hitterness  of  his  sor- 
row, "  has  gone  to  sleep  beside  his  fond  mother  in  the  dust  of 
the  earth."  Yet  not  a  murmur  escaped  his  lips,  not  a  regret 
was  ever  expressed  that  he  had  devoted  himself  to  the  work  of 
missions.  Again  prostrated  on  a  bed  of  sickness,  he  could  say, 
"  The  Lord  be  praised  for  his  goodness,  Hope  I  have  a  heart 
to  devote  myself  anew  to  his  service,  and  to  walk  before  him 
with  all  humility  of  mind  and  meekness  of  disposition.  May 
he  give  me  grace  henceforth  to  bury  self  and  exalt  the  Savior 
alone."  So  beautiful  and  consistent  was  the  piety  of  this  de- 
voted missionaiy ! 

March  26th,  1845,  was  another  eventful  day  to  him.  "  Had 
the  high  satisfaction  this  P.M.  of  finishing  my  translation  of 
the  G-ospel  according  to  Matthew.  It  was  a  touching  moment, 
and  what  could  I  do  but  commend  the  work  to  the  approba- 
tion and  blessing  of  God."  His  translations  being  now  carried 
on  Avith  a  great  deal  of  regularity,  he  notes,  on  the  15th  of  Oc- 
tober of  the  same  year,  his  having  finished  his  first  MS.  vol- 
ume of  the  book  of  Genesis,  extending  to  the  twenty-first  chap- 
ter. Intent  upon  perfecting  the  medium  of  communication 
between  himself  and  the  Dyaks,  and  reducing  their  language 
to  some  intelligible  order,  he  writes,  April  4th  of  the  following 
year,  "To-day  I  have  set  about  an  arduous  task,  viz.,  the 
preparation  of  a  Dyak- English  Dictionary.  The  materials  for 
this  I  have,  of  course,  been  long  collecting,  and  it  struck  me 


REV.  FREDERICK   B.  THOMSOX.  Q/^« 

that  the  time  had  come  for  a  vigorous  effort  to  get  the  arrange- 
.  ment  and  translation  of  the  words  fairly  under  way." 

Under  all  these  manifold  labors,  and  the  unusually  severe 
anxieties  and  trials  to  which  he  was  subjected,  a  naturally  ro- 
bust constitution  at  length  gave  way,  and  during  the  month 
of  May,  while  upon  an  excursion  to  some  of  the  neighboring 
tribes,  he  noticed  the  first  alarming  symptom  of  that  malady 
which  carried  him  to  the  grave.  The  necessity  of  a  season  of 
relaxation  for  the  recovery  of  his  health,  together  with  the 
urgency  of  providing  for  his  motherless  children,  had  led  him, 
some  time  previous,  to  apply  to  the  Board  for  permission  to  re- 
turn to  America  for  a  short  time.  Leave  was  granted,  and  he 
was  released  from  his  duties  to  return  home  by  way  of  Berne, 
Switzerland,  whither  he  was  anxious  to  go,  to  convey  to  her 
grand-parents  his  daughter  Emma.  Accordingly,  on  the  1st  of 
September,  Mr.  Thomson,  accompanied  with  his  two  children, 
bid  adieu  to  his  missionary  brethren,  and  turned  his  back  for- 
ever upon  the  scene  of  his  trials  and  labors.  It  was  a  moment 
of  touching  interest,  and  the  season  was  made  solemn  by  prayer 
from  the  brethren,  in  which  Mr.  Thomson  joined,  and  com- 
mended all  to  G-od.  Under  the  reviving  influence  of  the  mo- 
ment, he  writes,  that  "he  felt  not  a  little  cheered  with  the 
hope  of  a  brighter  future."  He  did  not  then  anticipate  that 
there  would  soon  be  ready  for  him  a  brighter  rest  beyond  the 
skies. 

On  the  3d  of  November,  a  favorable  wind  wafted  his  little 
vessel  from  the  shores  of  Borneo,  and  on  the  22d  of  the  same 
month  he  arrived  at  Singapore.  There  the  kindness  and  cor- 
dial welcome  of  Mr,  Keasbery  made  the  missionary  feel  once 
more  at  home. 


358  ^^^-  FREDERICK   B.  THOMSON. 

It  was  the  intention  of  Mr.  Thomson  to  take  passage  imme- 
diately for  Europe  ;  but  it  was  so  ordered  that  no  opportunity- 
offered  until  three  months  had  passed  away.  The  intervening 
time  was  busily  occupied  in  passing  through  the  press  some 
tracts  that  had  been  prepared  at  Karangan.  The  labor,  with 
other  duties  necessarily  pressing  upon  Mr.  Thomson  at  this 
time,  proved  too  much  for  his  feeble  strength,  and  in  the  month 
of  January,  1847,  he  was  alarmed  by  a  copious  hemorrhage, 
apparently  from  the  lungs.  The  bleeding  returned  again  dur- 
ing the  month  of  February,  and  it  was  then  he  remarked,  "  I 
feel  bound  to  consider  all  this  as  indicating  an  early  passage  to 
the  tomb,  and,  in  truth,  my  own  apprehensions,  or  rather,  per- 
haps, my  own  melancholy  temperament,  says  probably  veri/ 
early." 

On  the  22d  of  the  same  month  the  long  and  anxiously  ex- 
pected "  Comte  De  Paris"  hove  in  sight,  and  in  a  few  days  set 
sail  again,  bearing  away  from  heathen  shores  Mr.  Thomson, 
with  his  two  children,  accompanied  by  Dr.  Bradley  of  the  Siam 
Mission.  The  latter  purposed  to  go  in  company  no  further 
than  St.  Helena,  at  which  point  he  was  to  take  charge  of  Helen 
Maria  Thomson,  who  was  there  to  leave  her  father  on  her  way 
to  America.  The  voyage  was  most  prosperous  and  rapid  ;  and 
it  was  graciously  ordered  so,  for  the  frequent  notices  in  Mr. 
Thomson's  journal  indicate  that  the  earthly  tabernacle  was 
crumbling,  and  there  was  an  urgent  necessity  for  his  finding  a 
comfortable  home  before  disease  had  too  far  advanced. 

On  the  16th  of  May  the  rocky  shores  of  St.  Helena  loomed 
in  sight,  and  there  the  father  bade  a  last  adieu  to  his  daugh- 
ter as  they  separated — she  for  America,  he  for  Berne,  Switzer- 
land, the  pleasant  home  of  the  grand-parents  of  little  Emma, 


REV.  FREDERICK  B.  THOMSON.  QQQ 

where  he  arrived  on  the  12th  of  August,  "  to  the  great  joy," 
as  he  writes,  "  of  Emma's  fond  family.  Her  aged  grand- 
mother showed  me  her  texts  for  the  day,  which  she  noticed  as 
sweetly  appropriate.  They  were  Isaiah,  xxxviii.,  5,  and  John, 
xvi.,  24."  Here,  in  the  bosom  of  a  pious  household,  his  life 
flowed  peacefully  along ;  and  here  it  was,  surrounded  by  these 
tender  friends,  that  he  was  to  close  his  eyes  forever  on  this  world. 
His  time,  notwithstanding  the  melancholy  symptoms  of  his  de- 
cay, seems  to  have  been  delightfully  taken  up.  Occasionally 
a  friend  would  break  in  upon  his  retirement,  with  whom  he 
would  hold  sweet  intercourse ;  and  he  had  been  at  Berne  but  a 
short  time  before  he  had  the  pleasure  of  extending  a  welcome 
to  that  excellent  missionary,  Dr.  King,  then  a  fugitive  from  the 
persecution  that  raged  against  him  at  Athens. 

In  this  brief  sketch  it  will  be  impossible  for  us  to  present  to 
the  reader  the  details  of  Mr.  Thomson's  illness,  as  from  time 
to  time  repeated  and  violent  hemorrhage  slowly  wasted  his 
strength,  although  we  should  be  glad  to  mark  the  blessed  ex- 
ercises of  his  soul  during  this  period.  Well  was  it  said  that 
"  his  silent  preaching  then  was  humility,  resigned  suffering, 
and  uninterrupted  looking  for  the  Lamb  of  God." 

Happily  the  pen  of  his  aged  mother-in-law,  Madame  Combe, 
has  preserved  some  of  the  incidents  of  Mr.  Thomson's  life  while 
residing  at  Berne,  and  to  her  we  leave  the  description  of  his 
last  moments  in  her  own  touching  language.  "  From  the  com- 
mencement of  his  sojourn  with  us,"  she  says,  "our  common 
friend  had,  from  time  to  time,  turns  of  raising  blood,  but  of 
little  consequence.  The  physician  hoped  much  from  the  grape 
cure;  and  although  the  season  was  backward,  and  the  quality 
of  the  grapes  not  at  all  good,  he  nevertheless  was  strengthened, 


360  ^^^   FREDERICK   B    THOMSON 

and  continued  with  advantage  the  use  of  grapes  so  long  as  they 
could  he  procured.  From  Aigle,  where  especially  the  air  seemed 
to  henefit  him,  he  wrote  us  the  most  lovely  letters  ;  and  he 
made  with  readiness  one  or  two  mountain  excursions,  of  which 
he  preserved  an  agreeable  remembrance.  This  momentary 
favorable  state  he  employed  in  the  study  of  the  Grerman. 
Every  morning  he  exercised  himself  in  speaking  with  me,  re- 
peating the  lessons  learned  in  the  grammar.  French,  especial- 
ly, became  easy  to  him.  He  was  really  indefatigable  ;  and  his 
daily  life  was  shared  between  exercises  of  piety,  the  study  of 
the  languages,  literary  labors,  and  the  cares  demanded  by  the 
state  of  his  health. 

"At  the  festival  of  Christmas,  he  repaired  to  the  church  and 
took  the  Holy  Supper.  The  ceremony  was  long,  and  he  suf- 
fered from  cold,  for  our  churches  are  not  warmed.  He  did  not 
speak  of  this  until  some  time  after;  but  the  germ  of  a  new  de- 
velopment manifested  itself  in  this  circumstance.  His  cough 
during  the  night  became  harassing.  It  was  evident  that  he 
had  taken  cold,  and  he  was  not  truly  well  until  the  last  day 
of  the  year  1847,  when  it  was  granted  us  to  see  him  more  com- 
municative and  happy  than  usual.  After  tea  he  composed  a 
precious  meditation  on  humility — it  was  his  last." 

"We  had  much  cold  weather  during  the  month  of  January, 
and,  notwithstanding  my  care,  he  often  suffered  from  our  rigor- 
ous climate,  for  he  could  not  bear  to  be  warmly  clad.  He  then 
took,  in  its  greatest  severity,  the  influenza,  which  prevailed  at 
that  time.  But  he  recovered  little  by  little  again,  and  was  in  a 
measure  comfortable,  until  the  month  of  February,  when  turns 
of  raising  blood  recommenced,  and,  from  the  8th  to  the  10th, 
the  hemorrhage  was  so  violent  as  to  be  arrested  with  difficulty. 


REV.  FREDERICK  B.  THOMSON  ggl 

Then,  for  the  first  time,  he  said  to  my  daughters,  "  /  am  g-o- 
ing  to  pass  over  Jordan  f  and  we  were  in  sorrowful  expecta- 
tion of  this.     Not  daring  now  to  apply  himself  to  study,  he  was 
drowsy  during  the  day,  and  his  nights  passed  in  painful  sleep- 
lessness.    It  was  then  that  his  heart  conversed  with  his  God 
in  touching  and  ardent  prayers.     His  work  was  always  the 
object  of  his  breathings  to  Grod — he  would  wish  to  labor  still 
again  in   the  midst  of  his  poor  Dyaks.     Up  to  Wednesday, 
March  31st,  he  was  peaceable  externally,  but  on  that  day  he 
was  seized  with  a  great  agitation.     He  was  dressed,  and  with 
our  aid  walked  over  the  rooms  of  our  apartments.     Then  the 
fever  mounted  to  his  brain,  and,  without  scarcely  speaking  of 
it,  he  showed  that  his  head  caused  him  much  suffering.     He 
passed  a  troubled  night  on  Friday,  but  on  Saturday  he  was 
more  tranquil.     On  Saturday  night  his  disease  became  fixed, 
and  the  pain  in  his  head  did  not  give  him  a  moment  of  release  ; 
his  tongue  was  burning,  and  expectoration  ceased.     Many  pray- 
ers were  then  made  around  his  bed,  and  toward  six  o'clock  in 
the  evening  a  season  of  great  distress  came  on,  which  caused 
all  our  sighs  to  ascend  to  the  throne  of  grace,  and  which  term- 
inated at  half  past  nine  o'clock.     The  friends  who  surrounded 
his  bed  in  numbers  could  not  be  persuaded  to  leave  it,  this  strug- 
gle had  so  awakened  their  sensibilities.     When  he  breathed 
his  last  our  pastor  pronounced  a  thanksgiving,  and  a  profound 
peace  was  spread  over  the  features  of  our  friend.     We  separa- 
ted with  the  assurance  that  he  had  entered  into  the  joy  of  his 
Lord,  and  was  victorious  through  him  who  had  loved  him." 

Thus  departed  to  his  rest  Frederick  Bordine  Thomson.  He 
fell  in  the  prime  of  his  life,  for  he  was  but  little  more  than 
thirty-nine  years  of  age,  and  just  at  the  time  when  his  great 


362  ^^^-  FREDERICK  B.  THOMSON. 

usefulness  became  apparent,  and  at  a  peculiar  crisis  when  the 
Church  most  needed  his  labors.  Had  he  lived  to  the  ordinary 
age  of  man,  he  would  undoubtedly  have  stood  among  the  very 
first  missionaries  of  the  present  age.  When  the  news  of  his 
decease  reached  America,the  whole  Church  was  bowed  in  grief, 
while,  at  the  same  time,  she  acknowledged  the  just  hand  of 
the  Master  in  her  chastisement. 

As  a  missionary, Mr.  Thomson  was  prudent,  enterprising,  and 
persevering.  He  served  the  Master  with  all  his  heart  wherever 
he  was  placed,  and  the  whole  Church  had  the  utmost  confi- 
dence in  him. 

We  are  amazed  at  his  industry  and  perseverance.  Nothing 
was  left  undone ;  no  pains  spared  that  could  serve  his  cause. 
Toiling  all  day  through  the  jungles  and  marshes  of  Borneo, 
night  found  him  at  his  translations.  Even  while  a  fatal  dis- 
ease was  fast  advancing,  a  moment  of  relief  was  given  to  the 
study  of  some  of  the  modern  languages.  His  Dyak  vocabu- 
lary, his  translations,  and  the  large  mass  of  MSS.  he  has  left 
behind,  attest  his  toil.  Had  he  lived,  he  would  have  completed 
an  important  work  on  the  "  Economy  of  Missions,"  the  mate- 
rials for  which  he  has  left  behind. 

His  piety  was  deep,  ardent,  sincere,  as  his  life  has  shown, 
and  his  record  attests.  .  Often  was  he  made  to  drink  of  the  cup 
of  affliction,  but  trials  only  brought  him  closer  to  his  God.  He 
was  emphatically  a  man  of  prayer.  Besides  his  ordinary  de- 
votions, he  frequently  set  apart  days  and  special  hours  for  com- 
munion with  G-od.  For  benighted  Borneo  often  he  prayed  up 
to  the  latest  hour  of  his  life.  May  the  Lord  yet  answer  those 
cries  of  faith,  now  that  he  has  taken  to  himself  the  Dyak's 
friend. 


HENRY  LYMAN. 


Fac  Simile   extract  from  Letter  to  his  Mother,  dated  Padang,  West  Coast  of 
Sumatra,  May  3d,  1834. 

/^  ^-^^tr-O   J^^^^-'^      OyV^^^^^        'j-^ 


REV.  SAMUEL   MUNSON   and  REV.  HENRY 
LYMAN, 

AMERICAN    BOARD    OF    COMMISSIONERS    FOR    FOREIGN    MISSIONS 

BY     KEV.    G.    B.    CHEEVER,    D.D., 

New  York. 

X  HE  violent  death  of  these  two  beloved  missionaries  is  the 
only  instance  in  which  the  labors  of  the  American  Board  have 
been  sealed  in  blood.     It  was  a  profoundly  inscrutable  provi- 


366  MUNSON  AND   LYMA^ 

dence,  that  these  young  men  should  be  consecrated  to  God 
from  childhood,  carried  through  all  the  temptations  and  dan- 
gers of  their  college  career,  baptized  with  the  Divine  Spirit, 
largely  poured  down  upon  them,  appointed  to  their  field  of  la- 
bor, and  carried  safely  thither — a  field  extensive  and  promis- 
ing, and  in  which  their  hearts  panted  for  the  privilege  of  toil- 
ing for  the  benefit  of  immortal  souls — and  that  then,  just  to- 
ward the  completion  of  a  preparatory  survey  of  the  positions  of 
heathenism,  they  should  be  suddenly  struck  down,  as  by  a 
wild  and  terrible  heedlessness  and  mistake,  as  little  connected 
with  any  enmity  against  the  Grospel,  as  if  a  dozen  tigers  from 
the  jungle  had  sprung  upon  them — it  was  an  unsearchably 
mysterious  dispensation,  only  to  be  answered  with.  Thy  will 
be  done !  Even  so,  Father,  for  so  it  seemed  good  in  thy 
sight ! 

But  so  was  the  death  of  Stephen,  a  man  full  of  faith  and  of 
the  Holy  G-host,  a  most  mysterious  dispensation ;  just  a  man 
of  such  qualities  as  were  pre-eminently  needed  for  the  conflicts 
and  successes  of  the  Grospel  in  its  Pentecostal  power.  The 
death  of  Stephen  seems  more  natural,  merely  because  it  was 
the  direct  result  of  enmity  against  the  G-ospel,  bitterly  aroused 
and  malignant.  If  Munson  and  Lyman  had  perished  while 
preaching,  as  Stephen  did,  the  tragedy  would  really  have  been 
more  appalling,  but,  in  some  respects,  would  have  seemed  less 
unexpected,  less  mysterious,  less  needless. 

As  to  the  Church  of  Christ,  if  nothing  had  remained  of  all 
this  tissue  of  life  and  preparatory  providence — nothing  from  all 
the  expense  laid  out  on  God's  part  or  man's,  but  just  the  ac- 
count of  the  deep  piety  of  his  servants,  and  the  example  of 
their  missionary  spirit  and  joy,  impressed  so  deeply  by  the  ar- 


MUySOX  AND  LYMAN 


367 

resting  suddenness  and  violence  of  an  unexpected  death ;  that 
would  be  enough ;  enough  for  even  human  calculation  to  say, 
He  hath  done  all  things  well,  and  the  end  gained  is  well  pro- 
portioned to  the  means,  the  harvest  worth  the  husbandry. 


Fac  Simile  extract  from  Letter  to  Rev.  George  E.  Adams,  dated  Batavia, 
October  7th,  1833. 


^ 


>^2-v^^ 


•^J 


The  conversion  of  Munson  took  place  at  nineteen  years  of 
age.  He  was  born  in  New  Sharon,  in  the  State  of  Maine,  in 
the  year  1804.  He  had  been  left  an  orphan  at  ten,  but  had 
been  religiously  instructed  by  parents,  both  of  them  the  sub- 
jects of  the  grace  of  God.  His  native  qualities  were  a  win- 
ning frankness,  sweetness,  and  cheerfulness  of  temper  and  dis- 
position, a  kind  and  sympathizing  heart,  joined  with  a  quiet 
decision  of  character,  an  accurate  judgment,  and  great  perse- 
verance and  patience  in  the  application  of  his  powers.     He  was 


368  MUNSON  AND  LYMAN 

modest,  unassuming,  conscientious ;  and  his  religious  charac- 
ter, developed  in  his  college  life  at  Bowdoin  with  beautiful 
harmony  and  consistency,  manifested  the  traits  requisite  for  a 
patient  and  devoted  missionary. 

He  received  his  theological  education  at  Andover.  From  the 
outset  his  attention  had  been  turned,  through  his  whole  relig- 
ious experience,  to  the  work  of  the  Grospel  among  the  hea- 
then ;  but,  just  before  entering  on  his  theological  course,  he 
seems  to  have  received  a  new  impulse  in  the  same  direction, 
by  a  missionary  sermon  preached  to  the  students  at  Bowdoin 
College  by  Rev.  C.  Stewart,  from  the  Sandwich  Islands.  His 
career  of  study  at  Andover,  and  of  progressive  intellectual  im- 
provement, was  thorough,  systematic,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
more  varied  than  usual.  The  development  of  his  piety  con- 
tinued, as  from  the  first,  deep,  earnest,  habitual ;  and  his  in- 
tentions toward  the  work  of  foreign  missions  were  constantly 
ripening  to  an  intense,  unalterable  determination.  Yet  he  an- 
alyzed with  great  care  his  motives,  his  feelings,  his  views,  and 
was  anxious  to  admit  nothing  merely  imaginative,  but  to  be 
filled  with  the  sense  of  duty  and  the  love  of  Christ.  The  year 
after  leaving  Andover,  he  studied  medicine  in  Boston  and  Bruns- 
wick, in  order  that  he  might  go  forth  with  a  fuller  and  more 
abundant  preparation  for  usefulness  among  the  heathen.  His 
sermon,  preached  before  embarking  for  the  missionary  field, 
was  from  Acts,  viii.,  4:  "  Therefore  they  that  were  scattered 
abroad  went  every  where,  preaching  the  Word."  It  was  pub- 
lished by  the  American  Board  as  one  of  their  missionary  pa- 
pers. Its  author  had  been  made  by  the  Savior  to  drink  deep 
himself  into  the  spirit  of  primitive  Christianity,  and,  like  the 
early  disciples,  he  went  forth  on  no  romantic  expedition,  nor 


M  UNS  ON  A  ND  LYMA  N. 


369 


with  any  fitful  or  transitory  impulse,  but  in  the  solemn  and 
habitual  dedication  of  his  whole  life  to  the  service  of  his  God 
and  Savior.  It  had  not  been  without  great  struggles  that  he 
gained  his  education :  hardships  had  to  be  borne,  difficulties 
overcome,  strong  faith  exercised  ;  and  from  the  outset  his  heart 
had  been  fixed  upon  the  work  of  missions. 

The  Churches  of  Barnstable  county,  in  Massachusetts,  made 
themselves  responsible  for  Mr.  Munson's  support  in  the  foreign 
field  ;  and,  in  his  correspondence  with  them,  the  following  in- 
teresting passage  affords  a  delightful  development  of  the  state 
of  feeling  with  which  he  had  entered  on  his  labors  and  was 
prosecuting  his  work.  He  speaks  of  the  period  of  his  conver- 
sion, and  says,  ''From  that  time  to  the  present  I  have  had  but 
one  desire  and  one  purpose,  namely,  that  I  might  become  a 
herald  of  salvation  to  tlie  heathen.  I  have  often  review^ed  the 
grounds  of  this  decision,  but  each  time  I  have  been  more  con- 
vinced. I  speak  it  with  humility  and  self-distrust,  that  it  is 
for  tliis  work  that  God  has  raised  me  up.  It  is  a  blessed  work, 
the  cause  of  humanity  and  the  cause  of  God ;  and  I  wish  to 
bind  myself  to  it  by  every  obligatory  cord  w^hich  can  entwine  it- 
self around  a  moral  being.  Every  day  that  I  look  at  the  great 
enterprise  before  me,  it  appears  greater  and  more  glorious.  To 
use  the  simile  of  another,  if  once  it  appeared  to  be  a  remote 
star,  just  glimmering  in  the  distance,  now  it  has  become  a 
sun;  and  my  prayer  to  God  is,  that  it  may  go  on  increasing 
in  magnitude  and  splendor  till  it  shall  fill  the  whole  horizon 
of  my  moral  vision,  so  that  I  shall  see,  and  feel,  and  be  warm- 
ed and  fired  by  nothing  else."  As  to  contentment  and  happi- 
ness in  his  W'ork,  he  said  that  he  never  felt  more  singleness  of 
purpose,  or  a  more  fixed  determination  to  devote  all  to  the 

Aa 


370  3IUNS0N  AND  LYMAN. 

cause  of  God,  than  since  he  had  really  commenced  his  mission- 
ary labors. 

Lyman  was  the  youngest  of  these  two  devoted  missionaries. 
He  was  born  at  Northampton,  in  Massachusetts,  in  the  year 
1809,  and  both  before  his  birth  and  after  was  consecrated  by 
parental  faith  to  God,  and  not  only  so,  but  dedicated  to  the 
work  of  the  ministry.  In  the  confidence  of  this  consecration, 
in  reliance  on  the  promises  and  grace  of  his  Redeemer,  the 
father  never  doubted  that  his  child  would  be  a  subject  of  that 
grace  ;  and  therefore,  though  he  passed  the  period  of  childhood, 
still  unconverted,  and,  according  to  his  own  description,  a  very 
wicked  boy,  his  father  had  set  him  apart  for  a  college  education, 
and  sent  him,  much  against  his  own  will,  to  begin  it.  His 
two  younger  brothers  had  their  choice.  He  was  sent  to  college. 
Young  Lyman  was  so  vexed  at  this,  that  he  says  himself,  "  I 
was  wicked  enough  to  think  of  running  off  to  be  a  sailor,  and 
once  got  ready  and  actually  started,  but  a  kind  and  overruling 
Providence  prevented  me.  It  was  only  love  for  my  father  that 
induced  me  to  study,  and  now  I  feel  that  I  can  never  suf- 
ficiently thank  him  for  insisting  upon  my  going  to  college,  nor 
enough  thank  God  that  He  gave  me  such  feelings  that  I  pre- 
ferred to  forego  my  own  pleasure  rather  than  displease  my 
father."  "  Well  do  I  recollect,"  says  the  sister  of  the  future 
missionary,  "  standing  by  my  father's  side,  when  my  aunt  said 
to  him,  '  I  am  surprised,  Theodore,  that  you  still  persist  in 
keeping  Henry  at  college.  He  gives  no  evidence  of  piety,  and 
does  not  wish  to  study.     Why  force  his  inclinations  V 

"  '  Sister,'  said  my  father,  '  I  have  faith  to  believe  that  I  shall 
hear  Henry  preach  before  I  die.' "  Some  six  years  after  this 
oonversaUon,  in  the  autumn  of  1832,  this  child  of  faith  and 


MUNSON  AND    LYMAN.  Qi^l 

prayer  was  ordained  to  the  work  of  the  ministry ;  the  next 
June  he  sailed  for  Batavia  as  a  foreign  missionary  ;  and  in 
August  the  believing  father,  having  seen  the  cradle  vow  of  con- 
secration accomplished  and  the  prayer  answered,  died,  a  little 
while  before  the  sacrifice  by  which  the  two  missionaries,  un- 
iivided  in  death,  ascended  together  to  their  heavenly  rest. 

Young  Lyman's  childhood  was  endangered  by  many  tempta- 
tions, and  stained  by  sins  that,  had  it  not  been  for  G-od's  mer- 
cy, might  have  passed  into  habits  which  must  have  ruined  him 
for  time  and  eternity.  In  the  review  of  his  early  life,  from  a 
later  holy  and  solemn  mount  of  vision,  he  remembered  his  very 
first  oath,  and  has  recorded  the  beginning  of  that  guilt,  and  the 
reproof  within  and  without,  in  a  most  impressive  paragraph. 

"  My  first  oath  is  written  on  my  memory  as  with  a  pen  of 
iron.  The  time,  the  place,  the  circumstances,  are  before  my 
mind  as  if  it  were  yesterday.  When  at  the  age  of  ten  or 
twelve,  I  had  returned  from  school  with  two  or  three  of  my 
companions,  and  was  standing  near  my  father's  house,  I  mut- 
tered out  the  oath,  for  I  feared  to  speak  it  boldly.  '  What 
would  your  father  say  if  he  heard  that  ?'  exclaimed  my  com- 
panion ;  '  Henry  Lyman,  what  would  your  father  say  if  he 
heard  that !'  was  the  response  of  conscience.  I  felt  as  if  I  had 
taken  a  great  stride  in  the  broad  road.  It  was  truly  a  fearful 
step.  I  felt  my  moral  nature  tremble  under  the  shock.  Ev- 
ery thing  around,  as  if  taking  cognizance  of  the  fact  to  bear 
testimony  at  the  judgment-day,  impressed  itself  on  my  mind  ; 
and  at  this  day,  though  twelve  years  have  passed,  I  see  the 
appearance  of  the  buildings,  the  earth,  the  sky,  the  counte- 
nances of  my  companions.  I  hear  even  now  that  oath  ringing 
in  my  ears,  and  the  voice  that  uttered  the  reproof." 


2^0  MUNSON  AND   LYMAN. 

Young  Lyman  entered  college,  at  Amherst,  in  1826.  He 
was  full  of  energy  and  enterprise,  ardor,  activity,  and  gayety. 
There  were  perilous  influences  round  about  him,  and  for  a  year 
and  a  half  the  frankness,  manliness,  and  joyousness  of  his  na- 
ture made  him  a  favorite  and  a  leader  with  the  more  careless 
and  irreligious  portion  of  his  class  ;  and  if  Divine  grace  had  not 
interposed,  none  can  tell  what  destruction  might  have  fol- 
lowed. In  1827  a  powerful  revival  of  religion  intervened,  and 
changed  the  course  of  many.  Mr.  Lyman's  own  account  of  its 
effect  upon  himself  is  deeply  instructive  and  interesting ;  re- 
counting his  resistance  against  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spir- 
it ;  the  judgments,  struggles,  conflicts,  and  distresses  he  passed 
through ;  the  vows  made  and  brolcen ;  the  depths  of  despair 
visited,  almost  to  madness,  till  his  mind  seemed  torn  in  pieces; 
the  passage  from  self-reliance  to  self-despair,  and  the  infinitely 
blessed  heavenly  transition  by  faith  from  self-despair  to  Jesus. 
It  was  a  change  sudden,  bright,  entire,  permanent.  The  same 
ardor,  energy,  sympathy,  and  sensibility  that  had  marked  his 
social  and  personal  career  before,  were  all  turned  at  once  and 
decisively  into  the  service  of  his  Savior.  And  as  he  had  re- 
ceived Christ  Jesus  the  Lord,  so  did  he  walk  in  him,  unspoiled 
by  philoso])hy  and  vain  deceit,  the  traditions  of  men  or  the  el- 
ements of  the  world,  advancing  continually  to  the  realization 
ofM;he  promise.  Ye  are  complete  in  Christ.  It  was  evident  to 
President  Humphrey,  as  he  met  his  pupil  from  time  to  time, 
"  that  he  was  growing  in  grace,  and  would,  if  life  should  be 
spared,  more  than  fulfill  the  highest  expectations"  indulged  by 
his  friends  concerning  him.  "  Take  him  all  in  all,"  said  Pres- 
ident Humphrey,  "he  was  a  young  man  of  great  promise  in 
the  sacramental  host  of  Grod's  elect." 


MUNSON  AND  LYMAN.  O-ro 


The  sincerity  and  earnestness  of  his  love  to  Christ  were  mani- 
fested in  his  care  and  compassion  for  other  souls,  and  first  of 
all,  in  an  obedience  to  the  sweet  injmiction  of  the  Savior,  "Re- 
turn to  thine  own  house,  and  tell  how  great  things  the  Lord 
hat^  done  for  thee."  Some  of  his  letters  remaining  show  the 
faithfulness  and  affectionate  persuasiveness  with  which  he  la- 
bored with  his  brothers  and  sisters  to  win  them  also  to  the 
Savior.  Some  of  them  had  the  joy  of  attributing  their  own 
conversion  to  his  beloved  and  valued  instrumentality.  His  own 
experience  taught  him  never  to  despair  in  the  case  of  others, 
and  prepared  him  for  the  work  of  a  believing  and  loving  min- 
istry among  benighted  souls.  His  own  qualities,  and  those  of 
his  companion  united,  formed  a  most  admirable  and  effective 
combination  of  missionary  power. 

As  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Munson,  so  with  Mr.  Lyman  ;  the  be- 
ginninof  of  his  religious  character  was  the  beffinnins:  of  his 
missionary  aspirations  and  career.  In  prayer,  in  his  studies, 
investigations,  meditations,  and  every  way  under  the  guidance 
of  the  Divine  Spirit,  his  heart  and  his  determinations  were  con- 
centrated on  the  missionary  enterprise.  It  seems  to  have  been 
the  same  year  in  which  Mr.  Munson's  fervor  of  heart  toward 
the  work  of  Grod  among  the  heathen  received  a  new  impulse 
from  Mr.  Stewart's  missionary  sermon,  that  Mr.  Lyman  speaks 
of  hearing  a  discourse  from  Mr.  Dwight,  appointed  on  a  mission 
to  Greece,  which  led  him  to  seek  Divine  aid,  that  he  might 
thoroughly  practice  that  self-denial  which  he  deemed  an  essen- 
tial qualification  in  a  missionary. 

These  two  missionary  disciples  were  united  in  their  theolog- 
ical studies  at  Andover ;  and  though  differing  much  in  native 
traits  of  mind  and  disposition,  yet  the  investigations  and  ex- 


gy^  MUNSON  AND  LYMAN.  ♦ 

perienoe  through  which  they  were  led  (so  far  as  we  know, 
unrevealed  at  first  to  each  otlier),  in  deciding  on  their  mis- 
sionary career,  were  remarkably  similar.  They  wished  to  ac- 
custom themselves  to  labor,  self-denial,  and  fatigue,  and  the 
love  of  Christ  constrained  them.  In  some  respects  Mr.  Lyman 
must  have  had  the  greatest  difficulty  in  the  formation  of  mis- 
sionary habits,  Mr.  Munson  having  the  precedence  in  early 
self-training  and  equanimity  of  character.  But  things  are  very 
much  equalized  by  compensations  and  balances  in  the  Chris- 
tian life.  It  is  not  the  natures  that  have  the  least  corruption 
to  contend  against  that  make  the  most  shining  Christians,  but 
those  in  whom  grace  overcomes  corruption.  There  is  an  anal- 
ogy, perhaps,  in  nature.  It  is  not  the  purest  flame  that  throws 
out  the  greatest  quantity  of  light  and  brilliancy,  but  the  most 
vivid  effulgence  arises  from  the  burning  of  the  particles  of  car- 
bon, or  other  substances,  mingled  with  the  flame.  When  a  can- 
dle or  a  lamp  smokes,  if  you  put  a  glass  cylinder  over  it,  you 
compress  and  condense  the  flame,  and  the  smoke  is  itself  com- 
manded and  consumed,  giving  out,  at  the  same  time,  a  vastly 
greater  effulgence.  Just  so,  difficulties  conquered  in  the  pur- 
suit of  holiness,  and  evil  propensities  overcome,  will  produce  a 
brighter  light,  a  greater  permanent  glory,  than  if  there  had 
been  few  evils  or  none  to  vanquish.  These  faithful  souls  had 
each  their  peculiar  trials  in  the  process  of  heavenly  discipline. 
Like  his  companion  and  fellow-worker,  Mr.  Lyman  also 
finished  his  course  of  preparation  for  their  missionary  field  by 
medical  studies  at  Boston  and  in  Brunswick,  after  having  been 
ordained  at  Northampton.  They  were  both  happily  married, 
and  were  designated  the  first  missionary  families  from  America 
to  the  tropical  islands  of  the  Chinese  Seas.     They  were  to  spend 


MUNSON  AND   LYMAN.  375 

a  short  period  at  Batavia,  and  thence  to  explore  the  is^lcs  of 
Nyas  and  Sumatra,  Amboyna,  Timor,  and  Borneo.  Perhaps 
never  in  the  world  did  missionaries  embark  with  greater  joy 
for  their  field  of  effort.  And  throughout  the  voyage  their  hearts 
were  filled  with  grateful  and  happy  anticipations.  When  they 
crossed  the  equator,  and  lost  sight  of  the  North  Star,  as  one 
thing  after  another  was  dropping  off  that  could  remind  them  of 
their  country  and  friends,  Mr.  Munson  wrote  to  his  beloved  sis- 
ter some  little  record  of  his  happy  frame.  "  I  sometimes  almost 
wish,"  said  he,  "  that  I  could^  have  that  pensive,  melancholy 
state  of  feeling  which  such  events  are  calculated  to  produce ; 
but  it  is  not  so.  To  tell  you  the  truth,  my  heart  beats  with 
all  those  cheerful  and  warm  emotions  which  I  should  feel  were 
I  returning  home  after  a  long  absence.  Home  !  I  am  going 
to  the  home  my  heart  has  most  ardently  desired  to  see  for 
many  years." 

Just  so  it  was  with  Mr.  Lyman,  though  there  were  in  his 
case  more  ties  to  sever,  and  more  affectionate  hearts  to  be  filled 
with  sorrow  by  his  departure.  Yet  he  says  of  the  parting,  "It 
was  a  joyful  day  to  me.  Not  one  desponding  feeling,  not  one 
heart-rending  emotion,  not  even  a  suppressed  sigh  was  elicited 
by  giving  the  parting  hand  to  so  many  friends,  and  taking  the 
last  look  of  the  steepled  churches  of  my  native  land.  I  had 
long  looked  forward  with  a  kind  of  dread  to  the  parting  with 
my  dear  parents.  This,  I  thought,  would  be  a  trial.  Had  we 
not  been  so  hurried  in  our  departure,  I  know  not  how  it  would 
have  been.  As  it  was,  the  composure  of  my  parents,  and  my 
mind  being  filled  constantly  with  the  thought  that  we  should 
soon  meet  in  heaven,  buoyed  up  my  spirits." 

The  following  extract  from  his  first  letter  on  the  ocean  to 


376  31  UN  SON  AND  LYMAN. 

his  beloved  parents  is  worthy  of  being  preserved  and  pondered, 
were  it  only  for  the  encouragement  it  records  and  demonstrates 
for  parental  faithfulness  and  prayer. 

"There  were  several  causes  of  regret  tome,"  he  says,  "that 
we  vrcre  so  unexpectedly  called  to  embark.  One,  by  no  means 
a  small  one,  that  I  could  have  no  opportunity  of  expressing  to 
you,  my  father  and  mother,  the  obligations  under  which  I  feel 
myself  laid  for  your  ten  thousand  kindnesses  in  all  my  past 
life.  All  that  I  am,  I  owe,  under  the  blessing  of  Grod,  to  you ; 
my  education,  my  character,  my  salvation  in  a  great  measure, 
my  all.  I  wished,  too,  to  ask  your  forgiveness  for  all  the  trou- 
ble and  trials  I  have  willfully  cost  you ;  I  wished  to  ask  you 
to  help  me  praise  G-od  for  his  unbounded  grace  toward  me. 
You  are  not,  I  have  always  believed,  aware  how  great  a  sin- 
ner your  son  has  been ;  how  I  was  foremost  among  my  com- 
panions, in  Northampton  and  at  college,  in  carousing  and  pro- 
faneness,  and  every  other  species  of  vice  to  which  dissolute 
young  men  will  stoop,  and  how  I  attended  religious  meetings 
to  hide  all  this  from  my  Christian  friends.  But  I  will  not  en- 
ter into  particulars  ;  it  is  enough  that  I  rehearse  my  iniquities 
in  the  ears  of  the  Lord,  and  ask  his  forgiveness. 

"But  during  the  whole  of  my  wanderings,  the  voice  of 
parental  caution  and  the  effects  of  parental  prayers  were  not 
lost  entirely.  No :  I  have  retired  from  the  midnight  revel, 
but  could  not  forget  myself  in  sleep  till  I  had  called  first  on 
the  name  of  Grod,  the  Being  whose  name  I  had  been  for  hours 
using  in  the  worst  connections,  and  most  trifling  and  profane 
manner ;  and  this  because  of  the  early  instructions  of  those 
who  watched  over  my  infancy.  I  often  complained  in  my  ear- 
ly life  of  your  strictness  in  my  education ;  now  I  thank  you 


MUNSON  AND  LYMAN.  Qr^i- 

for  it.  I  have  caused  you  mucli  trouble  and  anxiety  ;  I  should 
have  caused  you  more  could  you  have  followed  me  to  all  my 
scenes  of  dissipation.  All  the  return  I  can  make  is  io  pray  for 
you,  a  compensation  which  will  neither  feed  nor  clothe  you ; 
but,  if  the  prayer  be  accepted,  will  enable  you  to  bear  both 
hunger  and  nakedness.  It  was  in  my  heart  to  have  sent  you 
a  small,  though  substantial  pledge  of  filial  obligation ;  but 
there  were  a  thousand  things  at  the  last,  which  drew  away 
dollar  after  dollar,  till  I  found  it  utterly  impracticable  to  do  as 
I  desired.  The  Lord  reward  you  a  thousand,  thousand-fold. 
If  you  have  done  all  in  the  Lord's  name,  he  ivill  reward  you. 
It  will  be  you,  not  me,  whom  the  heathen  will  rise  up  and  cal) 
blessed,  if  the  Lord  sees  fit  to  bring  any  to  a  knowledge  of  the 
truth  through  my  labors.  I  shall  teach  them  to  pray  for  those 
who  have  raised  me  up  and  sent  me  out  to  do  the  work. 

"  Be  not  discouraged,  my  dear  parents,  at  the  waywardness 
of  any  others  of  your  children.  Methinks  you  can  have  none 
so  dissolute,  so  reckless,  so  abandoned  to  every  sin  as  the  one 
who  is  now  addressing  you.  Though  they  may  not  seem  to 
hear  your  instructions,  yet  in  due  season  you  shall  reap,  if  you 
faint  not." 

On  their  arrival  at  Batavia,  the  missionaries  were  most  cor- 
dially welcomed  by  Rev.  Mr.  Medhurst,  of  the  London  Mission- 
ary Society,  and,  as  soon  as  they  had  procured  a  house,  com- 
menced the  study  of  the  Malay  and  Chinese  languages,  the 
distribution  of  tracts,  and  the  establishment  of  a  medical  dis- 
pensary in  the  town,  where  the  needy  might  receive  their  ad- 
vice and  medicines.  This  they  visited  three  times  a  week, 
with  tracts  and  portions  of  the  Scriptures,  medicines  for  the 
body  and  medicines  for  the  soul.     They  found  the  prospect  for 


378  MUNSOW  AND   LYMAN. 

religious  effort  in  the  whole  island  much  more  favorable  than 
they  had  expected ;  and  the  Mohammedan  Malays  neither  so 
bigoted,  nor  so  prejudiced  against  Christianity  as  they  had 
been  led  to  suppose.  Tracts  were  readily  received  ;  their  op- 
portunities for  doing  good  were  very  great ;  so  much  encour- 
agement for  labor,  and  so  great  need  of  it,  that  they  had  hard- 
ly time  to  think  of  home. 

They  had  come  on  shore  September  23d ;  by  the  24th  of 
October  they  were  settled  in  their  own  hired  house,  and  Mr. 
Lyman  was  writing  to  his  parents  a  minute  description  of 
their  situation  and  prospects.  "Our  field  of  usefulness,"  said 
he,  "  is  very  great.  There  are  hundreds  and  thousands  of  na- 
tives all  around  us — a  whole  village  within  a  stone's  throw  of 
our  house.  In  the  city  there  are  about  two  hundred  thousand 
Mohammedans,  twenty  thousand  Chinese,  and  a  thousand  Eu- 
ropeans and  Americans,  mostly  Dutch."  He  sketched  a  de- 
tailed account  of  their  own  mode  of  housekeeping  and  employ- 
ments for  the  perusal  of  his  parents.  But  even  while  he  was 
writing,  one  of  those  beloved  parents  had  been  carried  to  his 
everlasting  rest,  and  could  survey  the  situation  of  his  children 
from  a  post  of  observation  in  the  Upper  "World.  In  January 
Mr.  Lyman  received  the  first  intelligence  of  the  death  of  his 
father,  and  for  once  he  wished  himself  at  home,  but  remem- 
bered the  promises,  and  found  it  an  unutterably  blessed  privi- 
lege to  commend  the  bereaved  circle  there  to  Him  who  had 
promised  to  be  the  widow's  God,  and  the  Father  of  the  father- 
less. 

They  soon  began  to  address  themselves  to  the  first  great 
work  marked  out  for  them  in  the  instructions  of  the  Board. 
They  were  to  undertake  an  exploring  expedition  in   Nyas, 


M  UN  SON  AND    LYMAN.  onQ 

Sumatra,  and  Borneo,  to  determine  the  most  eligible  locations 
for  other  missionaries  whom  it  was  the  intention  of  the  Board 
to  send.  In  this  undertaking  they  expected  to  be  absent  from 
their  families  in  Batavia  about  six  months ;  and  they  found 
the  task  of  separation  from  those  they  loved — in  the  midst  of  a 
heathen  country,  for  the  purpose  of  a  deeper  plunge  into  the 
depths  of  heathenism — a  very  different  thing  from  leaving  home 
to  enter  on  a  foreign  mission.  It  was  a  great  trial,  and  they 
had  looked  forward  to  the  separation  with  many  anxious  fore- 
bodings, though  with  entire  and  humble  acquiescence  in  the 
will  of  God,  whatever  the  result  might  be.  Grloomy  presenti- 
ments for  a  season  overshadowed  both  their  minds.  Mr.  Ly- 
man felt  that  if  he  returned  it  would  probably  be  to  find  his 
beloved  wife  in  her  grave,  for  he  feared  she  was  already  be- 
neath the  hand  of  an  incurable  sickness  ;  and  as  to  his  com- 
panions, the  Sabbath  before  their  separation,  when  the  infant 
son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Munson  was  baptized  in  the  missionary 
chapel,  where  the  little  band  of  Christian  communicants  united 
in  celebrating  the  Lord's  Supper,  it  was  so  strongly  impressed 
upon  the  mind  of  Mr.  Munson  that  he  was  about  to  bid  her  and 
their  dear  little  one  a  final  farewell,  that  he  could  not  help 
telling  her  that  he  had  but  a  faint  expectation  of  ever  meeting 
her  again  in  this  world  at  the  table  of  the  Lord. 

As  to  their  missionary  life  itself,  every  thing  seemed  to  them 
to  have  been  but  preparation,  until  they  had  left  their  families, 
and  from  the  outposts  of  civilization  stepped  forth  into  the  dark- 
ness. But  the  strength  of  the  Lord  and  the  consolations  of  the 
G-ospel  were  with  them  ;  and  the  fulfillment  of  the  promise, 
Lo !  I  am  with  you  alway,  prevented,  after  they  had  once  set 
out,  every  reality  of  gloom,  every  feeling  of  despondency.     "In 


3gQ  MUNSON  AND  LYMAN. 

our  evening  devotions,"  it  is  recorded  in  their  journal  by  Mr. 
Lyman,  May  9th,  on  leaving  Padang,  "the  twenty-seventh 
Psalm  was  read ;  my  soul  seemed  to  enter  into  every  word  of 
it ;  prayer  was  sweet ;  it  was  pleasant  to  thank  the  Lord  that 
he  counted  us  worthy  of  the  work,  and  to  resign  all  into  his 
hands  for  life  or  death.  It  was  pleasant,  too,  to  return  thanks 
for  all  his  dealings  in  bringing  us  to  this  time,  and  to  pray  for 
all  those  friends  whom  in  his  infinite  mercy  he  has  raised  up 
to  assist  us.  It  was  sweet,  also,  in  breaking  away  from  this 
last  point  of  the  civilized  world,  and  plunging  for  months  into 
the  depths  of  darkness  and  moral  desolation,  to  raise  one  more 
anxious  prayer  in  behalf  of  Christendom  that  the  Church  may 
be  watered,  and  her  watchmen  not  cease  to  lift  up  their  voice 
while  a  sinner  remains." 

An  entry  in  the  journal  by  Mr.  Munson,  a  few  days  after  this 
date,  is  solemnly  impressive  and  beautiful.  "After  a  little 
troubled  sleep,  I  rose  and  went  on  deck.  The  air  was  cool  and 
refreshing  ;  the  night  was  calm  ;  the  stillness  of  death  reigned, 
except  the  distant  roar  of  the  waves  beating  on  the  shore.  At 
such  a  time  my  thoughts  naturally  turned  toward  the  land  and 
the  friends  I  had  left.  I  thought  of  the  scenes  of  my  boy- 
hood ;  the  causes  which  had  conspired  to  place  me  in  my  pres- 
ent circumstances ;  and  of  the  objects  of  my  present  pursuit. 
As  I  thought  on  the  nature  of  the  work  that  had  been  assigned 
me,  the  extent  of  the  field,  and  the  amount  of  labor  to  be  per- 
formed, I  felt  it  impressed  upon  me  that  this  is  to  be  the  the- 
atre of  the  remainder  of  my  earthly  existence.  I  felt  as  if  bid- 
ding adieu  to  my  friends  forever ;  as  if  saying  to  them,  Fare- 
well, we  shall  meet  no  more  in  this  world.  The  days  of  our 
intercourse  have  been   many  and   sweet,  but  they  are  past. 


MUNSON  AND  LYMAN.  ggj 

I  shall  return  to  you  no  more.  The  seasons  will  go  and  re- 
turn ;  days,  months,  and  years  will  roll  on ;  but  I  shall  see  you 
no  more.  Neither  shall  I  see  as  I  am  seen,  or  know  as  I  am 
known,  till  the  heavens  he  no  more ;  till  the  slumbers  of  the 
grave  are  finished,  and  the  voice  of  the  archangel  and  the 
trump  of  G-od  call  all  nations  before  the  throne  of  retribution  I 
It  was  a  solemn  parting,  and  though  only  in  thought,  I  have 
no  wish  that  it  should  not  be  real." 

In  a  letter  to  his  mother,  Mr.  Lyman  spoke  of  the  severity 
of  the  trial  in  parting  with  his  beloved  wife,  then  in  very 
feeble  health,  and  adds,  "  The  struggle,  however,  was  short. 
The  consolations  of  the  Gospel  have  been  so  abundant,  that  I 
have  been  quite  happy  all  the  time.  Yes,  dear  mother,  the 
Lord  Jesus  is  so  kind  in  fulfilling  his  promises,  notwithstand- 
ing my  neglect  of  him,  that  I  can  truly  say  I  rejoice  in  him 
with  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory.  *  *  *  When  at 
home,  I  used  to  say  to  you,  Never  grieve  for  me  ;  Jesus  Christ 
will  sustain  me  in  all  times  of  trouble.  Now,  mother,  I  can  say 
in  all  time  of  trouble  Jesus  Christ  does  sustain  me,  and  the 
nearer  danger  and  death  come,  the  more  desirable  does  heaven 
appear.  With  such  past  experience  of  mercy  from  the  hand 
of  God,  shall  I  not  continue  to  go  onward  in  his  service  ?  Sure- 
ly, so  long  as  the  promises  continue  yea  and  amen  in  Christ  Je- 
sus. Look,  for  example,  at  the  Daily  Food  for  to-day.  '  Fear 
not,  for  I  am  with  thee ;  be  not  dismayed,  for  I  am  thy  God. 

"'When  I  walk  through  the  shades  of  death, 
Thy  presence  is  my  stay  ; 
A  word  of  thy  supporting  breath 
Drives  all  my  fears  away. 

'  Lo  !  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world.'  " 


382  MUNSON  AND  LYMAN. 

This  letter  was  forwarded  to  Batavia,  and  sent  by  Mrs.  Ly- 
man, who  added,  in  a  postscript  at  a  later  date,  an  extract  from 
one  of  her  hushand's  letters  to  herself.  "  Henry  writes,  '  Not- 
withstanding our  raised  expectations,  we  are  more  interested  in 
the  Nyas  people  than  ever ;  and  for  one,  I  should  rejoice,  rejoice, 
rejoice,  could  I  be  permitted  to  learn  their  language,  and  spend 
my  life  in  leading  them  in  the  way  of  salvation.  I  long  to  go 
home  and  bring  you,  and  go  about  the  work  at  once.' " 

This  is  a  delightful  exhibition  of  the  heavenly  spirit  of  a  true 
Christian  missionary.  Animated  by  such  feelings,  these  two 
fellow-laborers  in  Christ  could  not  but  be  happy ;  the  Savior, 
whom  they  loved  and  served,  was  with  them,  sweetening  all 
their  trials  ;  and  perhaps,  in  all  their  Christian  course  on  earth, 
they  never  enjoyed  more  than  now,  when  the  trial  of  separation 
from  all  that  they  loved  on  earth  was  the  greatest,  and  when 
perils  even  unto  death  were  beginning  to  thicken  around  them. 
They  loved  their  work  for  Christ  better  than  all  things  else, 
and  could  say  with  Baxter, 

"  Come,  Lord,  when  grace  hath  made  us  meet 
Thy  blessed  face  to  see  ! 
For  if  thy  work  on  earth  be  sweet. 
What  must  thy  glory  be  !" 

A  letter  from  Mr.  Lyman  to  one  of  his  friends,  written  at 
the  beginning  of  this  exploring  expedition,  shows  how  the  con- 
solations of  the  Grospel  abounded  with  them,  in  proportion  as 
their  toils  and  trials  abounded. 

"  Of  my  own  poor  self  I  can  say  I  never  enjoyed  so  much  in 
America  in  one  year  as  since  I  have  left  there  ;  nor  so  much 
any  where,  as  since  I  have  left  wife  and  all,  and  commenced 
the  present  voyage.     True,  I  have  not  been  free  from  troubles  ; 


31  VINSON  AND  L  YM A  N.  OOQ 

but  you  know  medicine  is  sometimes  made  exceedingly  pleas- 
ant to  the  taste  by  an  excess  of  the  medium  in  which  it  is 
taken,  and,after  its  operation,leaves  the  body  in  a  more  healthy 
and  vigorous  state;  so  has  it  been  with  what  little  I  have  seen 
of  trouble.  The  separation  from  home,  and  recently  from  my 
wife,  were  bitter  pills,  but  I  would  like  to  go  through  with  the 
same  next  week,  if  it  could  be  attended  with  the  same  conso- 
lations from  on  high.  I  mention  this  to  make  one  remark, 
namely,  a  New  England  home,  with  all  its  endearments,  is  not 
a  si7te  qua  non  for  happiness  in  this  world.  Many  in  America 
thought  I  was  making  myself  perfectly  miserable  in  engaging 
in  the  missionary  labor.  I  could  not  convince  them  that  God 
can  '  make  thorny  beds  as  soft  as  downy  pillows  are.'  Noio  T 
can  speak  from  experience.  "While  the  blessings  of  New  En- 
gland are  rich,  and  calculated  to  make  one  happy  here,  yet 
happiness  does  not  consist  in  them,  but  rather  in  the  mind,  in 
the  man  himself.  One  may  be  perfectly  wretched  in  New  En- 
gland, while  in  the  midst  of  savages  another  may  be  perfectly 
happy. 

"And  why  can  a  missionary  be  happy  ?  Because  God  ful- 
fills his  promise,  '  Lo !  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the 
end  of  the  world  ;'  and  also,  'According  as  thy  day  is,  so  shall 
thy  strength  be.'  In  our  little  boat  of  eight  tons,  managed  by 
Malays,  who  are  rather  indifferent  navigators  ;  in  our  little  cab- 
in, partitioned  off  by  mats  in  the  back  part  of  the  hold,  with 
not  room  sufficient  to  stand  upright ;  amid  all  the  smell  of  bilge- 
water  and  stores,  with  our  chests  on  each  side  for  sleeping 
and  writing  places,  and  a  clean  mat  spread  on  the  floor,  on 
which  to  eat  our  rice  and  chicken  broth,  for  want  of  room 
to  place  a  table,  /  was  never  more  happy,  if  I  except  the 


384  MUNSON  AND  LYMAN. 

few  first  hours  after  I  opened  my  eyes  in  the  kingdom  of 
Christ. 

"Why  is  it  that  so  many  will  cling  to  the  good  things  of 
this  world,  as  if  in  them  was  centered  all  happiness — as  if  G-od 
had  no  power  to  make  these  very  hlessings  the  bane  of  their 
existence — as  if  he  were  not  able  to  give  them  grace  sufficient 
when  they  follow  his  commands,  and  to  make  what  appears  to 
be  a  sacrifice  a  blessing  ?  The  truth  is,  no  Christian  makes  a 
sacrifice  when  he  follows  Christ ;  no  more  than  the  impenitent 
sinner  does  when  he  gives  up  the  world  and  yields  his  heart 
to  his  Savior.  He  receives  a  hundred-fold  more  ;  if  not  in  this 
world,  yet  he  lays  it  up  in  a  sure  banking-house  for  the  next. 
Oh,  had  I  a  voice  that  could  be  made  to  ring  in  every  Chris- 
tian's ear,  I  would  send  peal  upon  peal  the  cry.  Live  fo7'  Christ 
— devote  all  to  him  !  until  it  should  make  an  abiding  impres- 
sion upon  his  heart,  and  lead  him  to  throw  away  his  unsatis- 
fying, transitory,  worldly  gratifications,  and  find  all  his  happi- 
ness in  the  work  of  his  divine  Master." 

"With  these  feelings  the  time  of  their  voyage  wore  happily 
away ;  and  when  they  took  the  last  plunge,  as  they  expressed 
it,  from  the  verge  of  civilization  into  the  depths  of  heathenism, 
and  their  labors  and  dangers  increased  daily,  they  were  still 
encouraged  and  borne  onward  by  the  promises  and  grace  of 
Christ.  The  journal  of  their  progress  and  investigations  is  in- 
structive and  deeply  interesting ;  marked  by  accurate  observa- 
tion of  the  islands  and  their  inhabitants.  In  some  of  the  Malay 
villages,  it  seemed  as  if  every  person  knew  how  to  read  ;  they 
found  schools  taught  by  Arabs,  and  attended  by  fine-looking 
boys  ;  and  the  Malay  books,  which  they  took  with  them,  were 
so  eagerly  sought  for,  that  they  had  not  enough  to  supply  half 


MUNSOX  AND   LYMAN.  oqk 

the  applicants.  The  people  seemed  free,  frank,  and  open-heart- 
ed. The  missionaries  came  to  the  earnest  conviction  that  a 
missionary  station  ought  to  be  established  among  the  Nyas  at 
Batu.  "It  is  with  feelings  of  deep  interest,"  said  Mr. Munson, 
"that  I  look  forward  to  the  result  of  these  hasty  efforts  to  ex- 
plore Nyas.  In  imagination,  I  can  leap  over  the  few  interven- 
ing years  of  darkness  that  remain,  and  dwell  on  a  brighter 
morning.  I  can  already  see  men,  filled  with  the  apostolic  spir- 
it, traveling  along  these  shores  and  climbing  over  these  hills, 
telling  to  one  and  another,  as  they  go,  the  story  of  Jesus  and 
him  crucified.  I  can  see  the  solemn  assembly  called  to  hear 
the  truth  preached  in  its  purity  and  power ;  sinners  listening, 
and  turning  to  the  Lord ;  saints  singing  and  praying,  and  an- 
gels rejoicing.  These  are  but  the  conquests  that  the  Spirit  of 
Grod  is  yet  to'  work  in  the  hearts  of  these  now  benighted  idola- 
ters.    The  Lord  hasten  it  in  his  own  time  !" 

These  remarks  were  made  June  12th.  Their  steps  were 
now  turned  toward  the  Batta  country,  where  they  were  to 
finish  their  exploring  tour,  and  on  the  17th  they  arrived  at 
Tappanooly,  where  was  a  Dutch  fort  and  government  establish- 
ment, and  where  they  lodged  in  the  house  of  the  post-holder,  a 
Dutch  officer,  who  received  them  very  cordially.  He  had  trav- 
eled in  the  country,  and  was  able  to  give  them  some  informa- 
tion. June  23d,  they  set  out  from  Tappanooly  for  the  interior, 
with  some  thirteen  coolies  and  assistants,  and  the  head  man  of 
one  of  the  Batta  villages  for  their  interpreter.  Before  they  left 
Tappanooly,  they  wrote  their  last  letters  to  their  friends  and  to 
the  Board  ;  and  it  would  appear,  from  Mr.  Medhurst's  account, 
that  the  journey  had  been  represented  to  them  as  comparative- 
ly free  from  danger,  though  the  traveling  would  be  exceed ing- 

B  B 


386  MUNSON  AND  LYMAN. 

ly  difRciilt,  There  was  no  such  prospect  of  peril  or  of  difficulty 
as,  in  their  view,  could  be  considered  sufficient  to  justify  them 
in  relinquishing  the  expedition,  and  so  they  set  forward.  Their 
way,  indeed,  was  found  to  be  very  laborious,  over  steep  hills, 
with  deep  ravines,  and  through  dense  tangled  thickets ;  yet 
they  managed  for  four  days,  the  24th  to  the  28th,  to  advance 
at  the  rate  of  twelve  miles  a  day  toward  Tobah,  their  place  of 
destination,  and  each  night  were  received  and  lodged  with 
hospitality  and  respect  by  the  rajahs  of  the  different  villages 
where  they  had  arrived.  Their  last  starting-point  was  from 
the  village  of  Groeting,  on  the  28th,  toward  the  village  of  Sac- 
ca,  where  they  intended  spending  the  night,  as  before,  with 
the  rajah  of  the  place.  But  that  day  was  their  last.  They 
had  marched  without  interruption  till  about  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  when  suddenly,  near  a  log  fort,  whicTi  they  unex- 
pectedly approached,  they  were  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  about 
two  hundred  armed  savages.  Their  assistants  and  the  inter- 
preter instantly  fled  and  escaped,  all  but  one  servant,  who  was 
killed.  The  two  missionaries  gave  up  their  arms,  which  they 
had  carried  for  protection  against  the  wild  beasts,  and  besought 
the  crowd  to  wait  a  moment  till  they  could  hear  the  interpreter, 
but  in  vain.  Mr.  Lyman  was  ffi'st  shot  down  by  the  savages ; 
then  they  rushed  upon  Mr.  Munson ;  and  both  were  killed  al- 
most instantly,  without  the  least  provocation,  in  the  attitude 
of  peace  and  gentleness,  the  only  true  friends  that  had  ever 
visited  this  poor  benighted  people.  It  appears  that  the  savages 
were,  just  at  that  juncture,  in  a  quarrel  with  a  neighboring  vil- 
lage, and  were,  on  that  account,  filled  with  anger  and  fear  at 
the  approach  of  the  strangers.  This  is  the  only  explanation  of  a 
ferocity  otherwise  quite  unaccountable.    In  the  actual  tumult, 


MUNSON  AND  LYMAN  QgW 

agitation,  and  fury  of  war,  they  seem  to  have  murdered  the 
defenseless  missionaries  without  knowing  what  they  did. 

It  was,  therefore,  not  an  event  that  could  ordinarily  have 
been  expected  ;  it  was  not  the  result  of  any  malignity  against 
the  Gospel ;  it  was  not  an  encounter  that  could  have  been  fore- 
seen and  provided  against.  It  was  a  divine,  inscrutable  provi- 
dence, ordaining  the  sudden  and  violent  termination  of  a  mis- 
sion, commenced  with  as  earnest  a  devotion  to  God,  as  sincere 
a  compassion  for  souls,  and  a  love  to  the  Redeemer  as  pure  as, 
perhaps,  ever  marked  any  effort  for  the  advancement  of  the 
Redeemer's  kingdom.  It  was  a  blow  beneath  which  the  friends 
of  the  dear,  devoted  missionaries,  and  of  Christ's  cause  among 
the  heathen,  could  only  bow  in  submissive  sorrow,  and  say, 
"  Thy  will  be  done  !"  What  to  think  men  knew  not,  but  only 
knew  that  God  reigns. 

It  is  distressing  now  to  read,  that  "  when  it  became  known 
from  natives  on  the  coast,  and  from  others  on  the  road,  that  the 
murdered  brethren  were  good  men,  and  had  come  to  do  the 
Batta  nation  good,  all  the  villages  around  leagued  together  for 
vengeance  against  that  village  where  the  outrage  was  perpe- 
trated, and  demanded  blood  for  blood.  In  an  unsuspected  hour 
the  surrounding  population  came  upon  it,  set  the  houses  on 
fire,  killed  as  many  of  the  inhabitants  as  they  could,  and  de- 
stroyed then-  gardens  and  fields.  Those  who  escaped  were  dis- 
persed, some  in  one  direction  and  some  in  another,  so  that 
their  community  was  dissolved.  In  their  fields,  and  the  place 
where  their  village  stood,  a  thick  jungle  or  swamp  is  now 
growing  up,  and  the  name  of  the  village  of  Sacca  is  heard  no 
more." 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  recorded  in  regard  to  Mr.  Lyman, 


ggg  MUNSON  AND   LYMAN. 

that,  Ibefore  his  last  separation  from  his  heloved  wife,  he  had 
agreed  with  her  that  they  would  mutually,  at  the  same  time, 
read  in  course  the  Psalms.  The  arrangement  was  so  made, 
that  it  is  said  to  have  been  known  that  hefore  he  set  out  on 
his  journey  that  last  fatal  day  he  would  have  perused  the 
twenty-seventh,  and  his  heart  must  have  been  secretly  encour- 
aged by  it,  even  when  advancing — not  knowing  the  future — ^to 
a  violent  death,  "  The  Lord  is  my  light  and  my  salvation : 
whom  shall  I  fear  ?  The  Lord  is  the  strength  of  my  life ;  of 
whom  shall  I  be  afraid?  "When  the  wicked,  even  mine  ene- 
mies and  my  foes,  came  upon  me  to  eat  up  my  flesh,  they 
stumbled  and  fell.  Though  a  host  should  encamp  against  me, 
my  heart  shall  not  fear  :  though  war  should  rise  against  me, 
in  this  will  I  be  confident.  *  *  *  In  the  time  of 
trouble,  he  shall  hide  me  in  his  pavilion." 

With  his  mother  in  America,  he  had  also  proposed,  as  indi- 
cated in  a  passage  in  one  of  his  letters,  to  read  the  little  vol- 
ume of  sweet,  selected  texts  for  every  day  of  the  year,  entitled 
Daily  Food;  and  the  text  on  the  day  of  his  death  was,  "We 
are  more  than  conquerors  through  him  that  loved  us."  The 
coincidence  is  very  impressive  ;  beautifully  and  joyfully  so  in- 
deed, for  the  two  Christian  brethren  and  faithful  fellow-labor- 
ers were  that  day  to  receive  their  crown.  They  had  fought  a 
good  fight,  they  had  kept  the  faith,  they  were  ready  to  be  of- 
fered. They  were  translated,  almost  in  a  moment,  from  the 
world  of  prayer  and  conflict  to  the  world  of  praise  and  ever- 
lasting rest. 

As  a  record  of  the  religious  experience  and  feelings  of  Mr. 
Lyman  only  thirteen  days  before  this  fatal  termination  of  his 
labors,  a  letter  written  to  his  sister-in-law  in  America  is  very 


M  UN  SON  AND  LYMAN.  ggQ 

precious.  It  was  dated  on  board  the  praoe  Tanjah,  off  the  west 
coast  of  Sumatra,  a  little  below  Tappanooly,  June  15th,  1834. 
"  Dear  Mary, — Allowing  for  the  difference  of  longitude,  you 
have  not  yet  consulted  your  Daily  Food.  When  you  do,  your 
thoughts  will  doubtless  run  in  the  same  channel  that  mine 
have,  as  you  read,  'In  the  world  ye  shall  have  tribulation  ;  but 
be  of  good  cheer ;  I  have  overcome  the  world.'  The  chapter 
of  Baxter's  Saint's  Rest,  which  occurred  this  morning  in  my 
course  of  reading,  was  quite  a  comment  upon  it ;  and  although 
the  whole  work  is  interesting  at  any  time,  occurring  as  this 
did,  so  ajyropos,  has  made  it  doubly  so.  How  ashamed  we 
shall  be  at  the  judgment  day,  when  we  look  back,  and  see  how 
little  we  have  kept  in  view  the  price  of  our  discipleship.  Our 
Savior  informs  us  in  the  outset,  that  in  the  world  we  shall 
have  tribulation.  But  when  afflictions  come,  we  exclaim  that 
all  these  things  are  against  us,  and  envy  those  who  are  freed 
therefrom.  We  would  fain  believe  that  because  we  are  the 
children  of  Grod,  he  is  bound  to  free  us  from  the  common  evils 
of  life,  and  make  all  our  way  smooth  and  easy.  G-od  has  no- 
where thus  promised.  He  will  send  his  rain  on  the  evil  and 
the  good ;  he  will  send  tribulation,  not  free  us  from  it.  He 
fulfills  his  part  of  the  covenant,  not  by 

"  '  Our  being  carried  to  the  skies 
On  flowery  beds  of  ease,' 

but  by  comforting  and  sustaining  us, 

"  '  WTiile  we  fight  hard  to  win  the  prize, 
And  sail  through  bloody  seas.' 

It  is  in  bearing  us  through  the  Red  Sea,  not  in  destroying  the 
enemies  behind  us,  that  the  Lord  displays  his  grace  to  his 


390  MUNSON  AND  LYMAN. 

children.  Had  we  no  troubles,  how  illy  should  we  be  fitted 
for  our  everlasting  rest !  Our  affections  are  all  centered  in  the 
world,  'till  afflictions  cool  and  moderate  them.'  'Afflictions 
speak  convincingly,  and  will  be  heard  when  preachers  can  not.' 
'  If  our  Lord  did  not  put  these  thorns  under  our  head,  we 
should  sleep  out  our  lives,  and  lose  our  glory.'  '  Every  Chris- 
tian, as  well  as  Luther,  may  call  affliction  one  of  his  best  school- 
masters ;  and  with  David  may  say,  '  Before  I  was  afflicted  I 
went  astray,  but  now  have  I  kept  thy  word.'  'Oh,  what 
difference  is  there  betwixt  our  prayers  in  health  and  in  sick- 
ness ;  betwixt  our  repentings  in  prosperity  and  adversity  ! 
Alas  !  if  we  did  not  sometimes  feel  the  spur,  what  a  slow  pace 
would  most  of  us  hold  toward  heaven !'  I  believe  the  more 
we  study  the  Divine  government  and  our  own  past  experience, 
we  shall  find  that  although  at  the  time  many  things  have  ap- 
peared dark  and  mysterious,  yet  all  has  been  well ;  there  has 
been  no  mistake  in  the  government  of  Grod.  Why,  then,  is  it 
that  we  are  so  slow  to  learn  the  lesson  our  kind  heavenly  Fa- 
ther is  desirous  of  teaching  ?  Why  can  not  we  show  our  grati- 
tude to  the  Redeemer  by  trusting  him  when  clouds  obscure 
the  sun  of  righteousness,  or  the  cold  damps  of  the  world  cut  off 
the  soul-reviving  rays  of  the  Spirit  ?  Oh  what  strange  creat- 
ures are  we  !  What  strange  things  our  hearts  !  We  see  that 
prosperity  makes  us  easy,  happy,  contented  here  ;  and  yet  we 
complain  when  that  is  sent  which  tends  to  wean  us  away  from 
earth,  and  centre  all  our  affections  in  the  object  of  the  saints' 
love  and  the  angels'  praise  ! 

"  Dear  sister,  I  would  say  it  to  my  own  heart,  and  trust  you 
will  not  object  if  I  say,  let  us  strive  more  to  look  upon  all  the 
events  of  life  as  directed  by  the  hand  of  Infinite  Wisdom ;  upon 


MUNSON  AND  LYMAN  Qgi 

all  the  adversities  as  coming  directly  from  Him,  though  it  may 
be  through  the  agency  of  some  fellow-creature,  and  learn  a 
lesson  from  Providence  for  the  benefit  of  our  souls  ;  not  find- 
ing fault  with  ourselves  as  the  objects  of  this  adversity,  nor 
with  our  fellow-men  in  various  circumstances  of  life,  as  the  im- 
mediate agents  of  the  evil.  If  we  can  bring  ourselves  to  '  be 
of  good  cheer'  amid  the  tribulations  of  the  world,  we  shall  let 
our  light  so  shine  before  men,  that  others,  seeing  our  good 
works,  shall  be  led  to  glorify  our  Father  who  is  in  heaven. 
Read  the  whole  of  that  tenth  chapter  of  Baxter ;  if  it  does  you 
as  much  good  as  it  has  done  me,  you  will  find  yourself  amply 
repaid. 

"  I  do  not  forget  that,  while  rocked  about  in  the  filthy  hold 
of  this  little  praoe,  in  a  room  partitioned  off"  at  the  ends  by 
mats,  scarcely  four  feet  high  in  the  centre,  scarcely  six  feet 
long  and  eight  broad,  with  only  room  sufficient  to  sit  and  lie 
down,  and  eat  on  the  floor  or  our  chests,  Grod  is  as  near  as  he 
will  be  in  your  large,  airy,  nicely-finished  church.  But  really 
it  seems  as  if  it  would  refresh  my  soul  once  more  to  unite  with 
your  large  congregation  of  intelligent  Christians  in  the  wor- 
ship of  the  sanctuary  ;  especially  to  have  my  thoughts  raised 
upward,  my  heart  melted,  and  my  soul  brought  into  sweet  uni- 
son with  the  solemnities  of  the  day,  by  the  performance  of  your 
well-trained  choir,  and  the  full-swelling  notes  or  softening  mel- 
ody of  your  beautiful  organ.  But  farewell !  a  long  farewell ! ! 
I  have  voluntarily  given  up  this,to  me,  most  exquisite  pleasure, 
and  expect  on  earth  to  receive  no  equivalent,  until  I  can.  Sab- 
bath after  Sabbath,  look  over  a  throng  of  those  now  dreaming 
out  existence  in  the  darkness  of  heathenism,  and  hear  from 
their  lips  songs  dictated  by  hearts  warm  with  a  new  redemp- 


392  MUNSON  AND  LYMAN. 

tion.  Oh  how  I  long  to  stand,  like  Richmond,  on  some  emi- 
nence, and  view  the  crowded  avenues  of  the  multitudes  flock- 
ing to  hear  the  Word  of  Life  !  Perhaps  this  goodly  sight  will 
never  be  granted  me.  I  may  be  doomed  always  to  go  out  into 
the  wilderness,  leveling  the  mountains  and  raising  the  valleys, 
and  preparing  a  way.  If  the  Lord  chooses  so  to  employ  me, 
his  will  be  done.  But  there  is  one  consolation.  Grlory,  glory 
to  God  in  the  highest !  Let  us  rejoice  and  triumph  in  it  I 
There  is  a  consolation !  There  is  an  organ — there  is  a  chou- ! 
But  human  hands  play  not  the  keys,  and  human  voices  raise 
not  the  sound.  Now  and  then  we  catch  a  gentle  whisper  of 
the  symphony,  as  it  comes  wafted  on  some  gentle  breeze.  But 
soon,  0  Mary  !  soon  we  shall  swell  our  voices  as  never  yet  they 
have  poured  forth  notes.  Higher  and  higher  yet  shall  they 
rise,  and  the  soul  with  all  its  powers  join,  till  all  enwrapped  in 
the  harmony,  without  fatigue,  or  dread  of  its  close,  we  shall 
no  more  envy  the  choirs  of  earth,  nor  sigh  for  joys  marred  by 
cumbering  flesh !" 

These  were  the  latest  recorded  aspirations  of  a  faithful  soul 
hard  following  after  G-od.  Speedily,  indeed,  were  they  reward- 
ed and  fulfilled  in  the  heavenly  world.  But  the  same  event 
that  opened  heaven  to  the  missionaries  seemed  to  annihilate 
the  mission,  and  cover  the  isles  with  gloom.  Nor  has  any  suc- 
cessful work  ever  yet  been  accomplished  there ;  nothing  has 
been  done  to  answer  the  sanguine  hopes  in  the  vision  of  which 
these  first  missionaries  ascended  to  glory.  "  Be  assured,"  were 
the  closing  words  of  Mr.  Munson  in  his  communication  to  the 
Churches,  "  I  never  felt  more  confident  of  the  final  and  speedy 
success  of  the  Gospel.  The  obstacles  which  the  Church  will 
have  to  encounter  here  are  many.     The  enemies  that  oppose 


MUNSON  AND  LYMAN.  393 

themselves  are  numerous  and  formidable.  Yet  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord  we  shall  conquer.  If  God  should  lift  up  the  vail,  and 
show  us  the  whole  train  of  moral  means  which  he  is  about  to 
employ  for  the  conversion  of  the  nations,  we  should  be  con- 
strained to  say,  they  that  be  for  us  are  more  than  they  that  be 
against  us.  We  should  feel  that  the  mountain  of  the  Lord,  on 
which  we  stand,  is  full  of  horses  and  chariots  of  fire  round 
about  us. 

"  But,  dear  brethren,  what  we  do,  let  us  do  quickly.  '  Be- 
hold, I  come  quickly,  says  the  great  Lord  of  the  harvest ;  and 
my  reward  is  with  me,  to  give  to  every  man  according  as  his 
work  shall  be.'     Even  so,  come  Lord  Jesus,  come  quickly !" 

The  exploring  mission  in  the  Indian  Archipelago  could  not 
easily  be  renewed,  because  the  movements  of  the  missionaries 
were  so  greatly  restricted  by  the  Dutch  government.  They 
were  forbidden  to  establish  themselves  any  where  in  Nether- 
lands India,  except  in  Borneo.  Of  the  missionaries  who  were 
sent  out  by  the  American  Board  soon  after  the  death  of  Mun- 
son  and  Lyman,  one  of  them  explored  a  part  of  Sumatra ;  and 
while  in  the  Batta  country,  in  the  very  region  where  his  pred- . 
ecessors  had  been  murdered,  he  was  himself  taken  sick,  and 
treated  with  great  kindness,  being  carried  by  the  Battas  in  a 
litter  of  split  bamboos  upon  their  shoulders  six  days,  and  then 
transported  in  a  canoe  to  Tappanooly.  "We  may  be  sure  that 
those  isles  are  yet  to  be  a  scene  of  the  Divine  glory.  There 
will  be  displays  of  grace  as  wonderful  as  those  in  the  Sand- 
wich Islands,  and  mighty  and  extensive  in  their  influence. 
But,  even  if  the  benefit  of  missions,  there  and  every  where, 
were  restricted  solely  to  the  development  of  personal  piety  in 
those  whom  God  consecrates,  kindles,  and  inspires  to  an  entire 


gg^  M  UN  SON  AND  LYMAN 

self-consecration — even  then,  and  stopping  with  the  mere  re- 
ality of  such  examples  of  self-denial  and  joy  in  Grod's  work, 
the  result  to  the  Church  would  he  worth  all  her  expensive  ef- 
forts. Were  there  no  other  benefit  whatever  from  the  great 
work  of  missions  save  only  its  reflex  action  for  the  piety  and 
happiness  of  those  who  engage  in  it,  that  would  he  ample 
compensation  for  all  the  labor  and  wealth  expended  upon  it. 
But  no  action  of  benevolence  can  ever  be  lost.  And  every  char- 
acter of  active  love  is  a  perennial  fountain  of  happiness,  both 
to  its  possessor  and  to  those  who  are  permitted  to  drink  its  run- 
ning streams.  And  how  blissful  a  preparation  for  peace  and 
joy  in  death  is  the  life  of  such  piety  !  Living  or  dying,  labor- 
ing or  resting,  the  Lord  Jesus  is  with  such  a  soul. 


WALTER  M  LOWRIE. 


Fac  Simile  from  Letter  to  his  Mother,  dated  Macao,  May  14tii,  1843 


REV.  WALTER   MACON   LOWRIE, 

PRESBYTERIAN    BOARD     OF     FOREIGN    MISSIONS. 

BY     REV.    R.    W.    DICKINSON,    D.D., 
New  York. 

JIT  is  difficult  to  conceive  of  any  sufficient  motive,  save  that 
of  Christian  duty,  which  can  influence  a  young  man  to  forego 
the  endearments  of  home,  the  pleasures  of  society,  the  prospect 
of  honorable  success  in  any  secular  business  to  which  he  might 
devote  himself,  and  go  out  to  spend  his  life  in  teaching  the 
heathen  the  way  of  salvation  through  Jesus  Christ.  We  may 
be  mistaken  in  our  judgment  of  the  man,  and  he  himself  may 


398  ^^^-  WALTER  M.  LOWRIE. 

disappoint  our  expectations,  but  such  is  our  primary  impres- 
sion of  the  youthful  missionary.  Other  youth  may  be  all  that 
is  desirable  and  promising,  but  he  seems  to  be  "  the  one  among 
a  thousand."  Hence  we  sympathize  with  him  in  the  trial  of 
parting  with  friends  ;  follow  him,  in  imagination,  as  he  wends 
his  solitary  way  through  the  abodes  of  demon-worshipers  ; 
and  when  told  that  he  has  finished  his  work,  we  would  ponder 
the  incidents  of  his  life  and  the  circumstances  of  his  death. 

Other  feelings,  too,  are  apt  to  attract  us  to  such  a  subject. 
We  are  curious  to  know  how  a  youth  of  high  endowments  and 
tender  sympathies  could  repress  the  promptings  of  ambition 
and  withstand  the  attractions  of  home  ;  and,  in  consecrating 
himself  to  the  foreign  missionary  field,  voluntarily  lay  his  ac- 
count with  toil,  and  suffering,  and  an  early  death.  It  would 
be  interesting  to  discover  by  what  process  of  thought  he  came 
to  a  decision  in  a  matter  which  but  few  ever  consider,  and 
then,  in  most  instances,  only  to  dismiss  from  their  minds  ;  to 
follow  him  through  his  mental  and  spiritual  preparation  for 
such  an  enterprise ;  to  gather  from  the  nature  of  his  studies, 
the  tenor  of  his  conversation,  and  the  strains  of  his  letters, 
some  picture  of  his  mind  and  heart.  It  is  worth  inquiring, 
moreover,  whether  he  who  could  part  with  home  and  country 
had  no  secret  misgivings,  no  fond  regrets,  no  unutterable  long- 
ings to  return  ?  whether  he  who  deemed  himself  prepared  and 
willing  to  depart,  never  to  return,  did  not  discover,  when  too 
late,  that  he  had  mistaken  his  own  feelings  ?  or  whether  he 
held  on  the  even  tenor  of  his  way,  true  to  his  beneficent  ob- 
ject, amid  all  discouragements  and  dangers  ? 

In  relation,  therefore,  to  the  late  "Walter  Macon  Loavrie,  it 
would  be  profitable,  as  well  as  interesting,  to  revert  to  his  early 


REV    WALTER  m.  LOWRIE.  399 

life,  and  recall  the  influences  amid  which  his  boyhood  was 
reared,  and  the  educational  advantages  his  youth  enjoyed ;  to 
follow  him  from  Butler,  Pennsylvania,  the  place  of  his  nativity, 
to  "Washington  City,  where  he  received  the  special  care  and 
tuition  of  his  father,  the  Hon.  "Walter  Lowrie ;  thence  to  Jeffer- 
son College,  at  Canonsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  where,  in  the  early 
part  of  his  course,  and  in  the  fifteenth  year  of  his  age,  he  was 
arrested  by  Gfod's  Spirit,  amid  circumstances  of  peculiar  so- 
lemnity, and  led  not  only  to  join  the  communion  of  the  Church, 
but  to  resolve  on  being  a  missionary  of  the  Cross  ;  where,  with- 
out neglecting  any  college  duty,  or  failing  in  any  required  task, 
he  was  actively  engaged  in  promoting  religion  in  the  hearts  of 
others  as  well  as  in  his  own ;  where  he  was  graduated  in  the 
fall  of  1837,  having  secured  the  approbation  of  all  his  in- 
structors, and  received  the  highest  collegiate  honors ;  from 
whence,  after  an  interval  of  rest  at  home,  on  account  of  his 
impaired  health,  he  went  to  Princeton,  New  Jersey,  where  his 
spirit  assumed  a  deeper  tone  of  piety,  and  his  heart  beat  with 
a  more  fervent  zeal  in  his  Master's  cause,  while  he  faithfully 
and  successfully  pursued  his  studies  in  preparation  for  the  min- 
istry of  the  G-ospel.  We  might  also  advert  to  his  influence  in 
promoting  a  missionary  spirit  among  his  fellow-students ;  to 
his  devotion  to  the  interests  of  the  young,  through  the  medium 
of  the  Sabbath-school  which  he  superintended  during  his  resi- 
dence in  Princeton  ;  to  the  exercises  of  his  mind  in  relation  to 
the  field  of  his  future  labor  ;  to  his  examination  and  licensure, 
and  final  ordination  by  the  Second  Presbytery  of  New  York ; 
and  to  his  views  and  feelings  when  on  the  eve  of  departure  from 
his  native  land.  So  might  we,  by  means  of  his  journal,  trace  his 
voyage  in  the  Huntress,  from  New  York  to  China  ;  from  Ma- 


400  REV.  WALTER  M.  LOWRIE. 

cao,  down  the  China  Sea,  in  the  Sea  Q,ueen,  in  which  vessel  his 
patience  was  so  sorely  tried ;  and  afterward  in  the  Harmony, 
which  was  wrecked ;  his  subsequent  return  to  Macao  in  Decem- 
ber, 1842,  where  he  remained,  engaged  in  studying  the  Chinese 
language,  and  preaching  to  the  English  residents,  until  it  was 
thought  best  that  he  should  join  the  Ningpo  Mission,  whither  he 
went  in  the  early  part  of  the  year  1845,  and  where  he  remained 
in  the  prosecution  of  his  appropriate  work  until  May,  1847. 

But  the  limits  which  have  been  assigned  to  us  in  this  work 
will  not  admit  of  our  entering  into  the  particulars  of  Mr.  Low- 
rie's  life.  Nor  is  it  necessary  in  this  relation,  since  we  can  re- 
fer our  readers  to  his  published  journal  and  letters,*  with  which 
they  are  probably  acquainted.  We  confess  to  a  peculiar  in- 
terest in  these  remains — not  unlike  that  of  the  mourner  who 
takes  a  melancholy  pleasure  in  looking  over  the  effects  of  the 
departed  one ;  all  dear,  because  all  that  is  left  of  him  who  is 
gone  !  As  we  have  glanced  over  these  remains,  we  have  de- 
tected in  ourselves  a  sympathy  with  the  friends  of  the  depart- 
ed— sympathy  with  the  cause  of  missions — sympathy  with  the 
conditions  of  Christian  duty ;  even  thoughts  at  variance  with 
the  integrity  of  Christian  belief.  We  have  said  to  ourselves, 
this  is,  indeed,  a  world  of  sore  trial ;  no  Christian  is  exempt, 
even  in  his  labors  of  love  and  mercy.  A  substitutionary  work 
this  of  the  Christian  missionary  ;  so  much  self-denial,  and  toil, 
and  pain,  for  any  good  proposed  or  accomplished !  And  why 
should  we  forego  every  thing  for  Christ,  and  yet  be  permitted 
to  effect  so  little  ?  Why  prepare  ourselves  so  assiduously,  when 
in  an  unexpected  moment  we  may  be  cut  off? 

*  See  Memoirs  of  W.  M.  Lowrie.  Edited  by  his  Father.  New  York  :  Robert 
Carter  and  Brothers.     1849. 


REV.  WALTER   M.  LOW R IE.  AQI 

But  whatever  doubts  may  have  embarrassed  our  mind  have 
been  removed  as  we  cahnly  reflected  on  the  tenor  of  Mr.  Low- 
rie's  remains.  They  have  even  alleviated  the  sorrow  they  had 
caused,  and  furnished  the  grounds  of  evidence  that,  though  he 
has  gone,  the  writer  has  not  ceased  to  exist.  Something  be- 
yond the  physical  and  material  here  shines  forth.  Through 
these  papers  we  can  commune  with  him  as  really  as  if  we  saw 
his  face  and  heard  his  voice.  It  can  not  be  that  the  mind 
which  dictated  these  thoughts  and  sentiments  no  longer  thinks ; 
that  the  heart  which  responded  to  the  claims  of  duty,  and  beat 
with  love  to  Grod,  no  longer  feels  ! 

But  these  journals  and  letters  to  which  we  have  referred 
constitute  an  autobiography  as  complete  as  he  himself  could 
have  prepared  ;  and  they  are  the  more  valuable  because  writ- 
ten, with  but  few  exceptions,  for  the  special  eye  of  those  to 
whom  he  felt  free  in  laying  bare  his  inmost  thoughts  and  daily 
practice.  They  present  him  to  us  in  different  places  and  un- 
der a  great  variety  of  circumstances  ;  on  shipboard  as  well  as 
on  the  land  ;  in  the  tempest  and  in  the  calm  ;  while  laboring 
under  every  bodily  discomfort,  and  when  enjoying  all  needed 
refreshment  and  rest ;  in  the  trials  of  his  faith  and  patience, 
and  in  the  outpourings  of  his  gratitude  and  love  ;  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  Christian  converse,  and  in  the  loneliness  of  his  soli- 
tude ;  in  his  house,  his  study,  his  pulpit ;  by  the  bed  of  the 
dying ;  in  the  grave-yard  of  the  heathen ;  in  his  intercourse 
with  men,  and  in  his  walks  for  exercise  and  reflection. 

The  life  of  every  man  is  made  up  of  detail ;  and  it  is  only 
from  every-day  life  that  one's  character  is  to  be  accurately 
judged.  We  can  not  know  what  he  is  until  we  see  him  where 
there  is  no  motive  ei+her  to  conceal  or  to  display ;  where  he  acts 

Cc 


AnO  REV    WALTER   M.  LOWRIE 

out  himself  according  to  the  resources  of  his  mind  or  the  wont- 
ed promptings  of  his  heart ;  and  as  man  is  in  private,  such  is 
his  true  moral  character.  He  may  not  know  himself;  but  they 
who  are  around  him  from  day  to  day  may  know  him  better 
than  he  knows  himself;  and,  in  like  manner,  as  a  man  is  in 
the  judgment  of  the  inmates  of  his  own  dwelling,  such  is  he 
in  the  unrestrained  familiarity  of  epistolary  intercourse  with 
bosom  friends.  Whatever  may  be  one's  attainments  in  per- 
sonal piety,  the  strength  of  his  self-denying  purpose,  or  the  dil- 
igence of  his  habits,  there  are  times  when,  unless  he  has  school- 
ed himself  into  a  morbid  monotony  of  thought  and  feelings, 
the  peculiarities  of  his  temperament  or  the  natural  cast  of  his 
disposition  will  be  strikingly  seen  ;  and  we  are  free  to  sa}'-,  in 
relation  to  Mr.  Lowrie,  that,  in  our  view,  his  piety  was  not 
less  fervent  because  it  was  occasionally  mingled  with  a  strain 
of  native  tenderness  and  innocent  gayety — his  devotement  to 
his  work  not  less  real  because,  in  his  hours  of  intermitted  ap- 
plication, he  could  enter  with  zest  into  cheerful  converse  or 
epistolary  chat ;  his  affection  for  his  Master  not  less  deep  and 
abiding  because  he  could  interest  his  absent  friends  in  the  ar- 
rangement of  his  house  and  the  regimen  of  his  table :  even  his 
occasional  moments  of  utter  loneliness  are  not  at  variance  with 
his  sense  of  God's  favor ;  nor  those  feelings  which  bordered  on 
despondency  inconsistent  with  a  pure  and  holy  zeal. 

One  of  the  most  pleasing  traits  in  Mr.  Lowrie's  character 
was  his  disposition  to  allay  the  natural  anxiety  of  those  who 
loved  him  most,  by  interesting  them  in  all  that  appertained  to 
his  mode  of  living  and  daily  employments  ;  his  tender  thought- 
fulness  of  them,  even  when  he  was  most  fatigued  by  the  la- 
bors of  the  day.    And  in  this  connection,  it  is  important  as  well 


REV.   WALTER   M.  LOWRIE.  403 

as  gratifying  to  recall  his  unabated  concern  for  the  advance- 
ment of  religion  at  home — his  deference  to  his  Presbytery  in 
New  York  in  giving  them,  of  his  own  accord,  an  account  of 
himself — his  joy  on  receiving  intelligence  of  his  brother's  eon- 
version,  and  the  liberal  gift  to  the  mission — his  regard  for 
truth-statements  in  relation  to  the  missionary  work — his  ad- 
vice to  those  who  contemplated  the  work  in  China — his  anxiety 
to  welcome  new  laborers — his  interest  in  the  cause  of  Sabbath- 
school  instruction,  which  led  him,  notwithstanding  the  press- 
ure of  his  engagements,  to  write  a  series  of  letters  to  children 
— in  the  action  of  the  General  Assembly,  as  evinced  by  his  ap- 
propriate reflections  on  receiving  the  "  Minutes  ;"  and  especial- 
ly his  aim  to  rectify  all  false  views  of  the  missionary  life,  as 
appears  in  his  masterly  Essay  on  Missions. 

That  cause  must  have  been  dear  to  him  which  enabled  him 
to  control  as  affectionate  a  heart  as  ever  beat  in  the  human 
breast.  That  mind  could  not  have  been  narrow  in  its  range 
or  in  its  devotion  which  enabled  him  to  keep  in  practical  view 
the  vital  connection  between  the  prosperity  of  the  Church  in 
America  and  the  Church  in  China — to  do  so  much  toward 
awakening  in  the  bosoms  of  Christians  at  home  a  deeper  in- 
terest in  the  cause  of  missions,  while  bending  all  his  energies 
to  the  advancement  of  the  cause  abroad — even  while  pressed 
down  by  a  sense  of  the  magnitude  of  his  own  work,  to  realize 
the  responsibilities  of  Christians  in  America — while  surveying 
with  a  tearful  eye  the  widespread  desolations  around  him, 
still  to  feel  for  poor,  benighted  Africa ! 

His  powers  of  observation  were  no  less  remarkable  than  the 
amplitude  of  his  views  and  the  depth  of  his  sentiments — his 
power  in  recalling  past  scenes  and  faces,  or  in  availing  him- 


404  ^^^-  ^^^TER   M.  L  own  IE. 

self  of  any  branch  of  knowledge,  than  his  ability  to  apply  him- 
self with  unremitting  assiduity.  That  he  could  study  so  many 
hours  a  day,  investigate  different  subjects,  superintend  the 
press,  do  most  of  the  writing  for  the  mission,  prepare  a  sermon 
almost  every  week,  and,  in  the  mean  time,  turn  off  so  many 
letters  to  different  persons  on  a  great  variety  of  topics,  with  no 
material  repetition,  and  with  but  little  resemblance  in  their 
contents,  was  owing,  we  apprehend,  to  his  method  in  study, 
his  equanimity  of  temperament,  and  ability  to  turn  from  one 
subject  to  another  without  distraction — to  the  quickness  of  his 
perceptions  and  the  vividnesvS  of  his  reminiscences — to  his  fa- 
cility alike  in  learning  and  in  writing,  rather  than  to  any  ex- 
traordinary qualities  of  mind.  He  could  not  be  idle.  If  not 
able  to  engage  in  any  regular  task,  he  penned  a  letter  or  add- 
ed to  his  journal,  noted  some  fact  or  classified  a  flower.  Every 
thing  on  which  his  eye  fell  awakened  some  pleasing  associa- 
tion or  suggested  some  useful  thovight.  The  varied  aspects 
of  the  country,  its  produce  and  commerce,  as  well  as  the  man- 
ners and  customs  of  the  people — all  in  turn,  and  at  suitable 
times,  interested  his  attention,  or  furnished  him  with  valuable 
information  for  future  use. 

He  was  no  less  fond  of  order  than  averse  to  interruptions. 
Wherever  domesticated,  each  part  of  the  day  had  its  allotted 
task  ;  and  each  thing,  in  turn,  was  to  be  done,  and  well  done. 
At  times  applying  himself  with  injudicious  severity,  but  sel- 
dom loitering  his  time  or  listless  in  his  studies.  Now  exer- 
cising with  the  buoyancy  of  youth,  and  then  entering  with 
equal  zest  into  the  pleasures  of  the  social  circle,  or  even  the 
sports  of  childhood.  Sometimes  blending  the  advantages  of 
conversation  with  healthful  recreation,  and  then,  again,  avail- 


REV.  WALTER  M.  LOWRIE.  aqk 

ing  himself  of  his  knowledge  of  botany  or  his  love  of  music,  to 
relieve  the  solitariness  of  his  walk  or  the  loneliness  of  his 
abode.  His  mind,  though  not  of  the  highest  order  of  develop- 
ment, united  qualities^  not  usually  found  in  just  and  equal  ex- 
ercise. He  had  too  great  facility  in  learning  to  be  often  origi- 
nal in  his  thoughts  ;  yet,  in  addition  to  a  susceptible  and  ready 
memory,  he  had  so  marked  a  power  of  reflection,  that  the 
thoughts  of  others  could  not  pass  through  his  mind  without 
assuming  new  relations,  receiving  the  impress  of  his  own  judg- 
ment, and  the  hues  of  his  own  emotions.  He  was  fond  of  the 
pure  mathematics,  and  yet  proficient  in  the  dead  languages ; 
vigorous  in  demonstration,  thorough  in  his  investigations,  and 
yet  alike  susceptible  to  the  beauties  of  nature,  the  images  of 
poetry,  and  the  strains  of  music.  Uniting  the  diligence  of  a 
student  with  the  accuracy  of  a  critic  and  the  sensibilities  of 
a  poet,  he  might  have  distinguished  himself  in  almost  any 
branch  of  science  or  of  literature.  He  could  adapt  himself  to 
the  comprehension  of  a  child,  and  again  advance  thoughts  that 
would  task  the  strongest  intellect ;  and  whether  he  investi- 
gated a  knotty  point,  narrated  an  occurrence,  described  a  fish 
or  a  flower,  evolved  a  conclusion  or  canvassed  some  practical 
matter,  it  was  seemingly  done  with  equal  facility.  His  con- 
ceptions almost  equaling  the  force  of  actual  perception ;  his 
susceptibility  to  all  the  deeper  emotions,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
his  quick  sense  of  the  ludicrous  ;  his  playfulness  of  humor ; 
his  aptness  in  seizing  the  strong  points  of  a  character  or  a 
scene,  and  his  facility  in  narration  or  description,  all  fitted  him 
for  a  striking  dramatic  writer  or  a  charming  writer  of  travels. 
On  the  other  hand,  his  habits  of  application,  coupled  with  his 
general  scholarship  and  great  facility  in  the  acquisition  of  Ian- 


406  ^  ^  ^-   ^^^I-TER  M.  LOWRIE. 

guages,  fitted  him  in  an  especial  manner  for  either  comment- 
ing on  the  Scriptures  or  translating  them  into  the  Chinese, 
even  for  compiling  a  dictionary  of  that  tongue — a  work  which 
he  had  begun,  and  would  have  accomplished  had  his  life  been 
spared. 

But,  whatever  his  talents  and  acquirements,  they  all  fade  in 
comparison  with  his  holy  faith  and  self-denying  zeal.  It  is  his 
missionary  spirit — his  steady  devotedness  to  his  object  amid 
all  trials  and  difficulties,  that  impresses  us  with  sentiments  of 
unaffected  regard  for  nis  character  ;  and  it  is  chiefly  in  this 
light  that  we  love  to  contemplate  his  brief  history.  Though 
fond  of  the  beauties  of  nature,  and  equally  alive  to  the  attrac- 
tions of  literature,  he  seems  to  have  been  only  the  more  charmed 
by  the  richness  and  variety  of  the  Scriptures.  As  the  Iliad  was 
to  Alexander  during  his  marches  through  the  East,  so  was  the 
Book  of  books  to  Lowrie  in  his  journeyings  and  labors  to  pre- 
pare the  way  for  the  final  subjugation  of  the  heathen  to  the 
King  of  kings.  It  is  refreshing  to  faith  to  contemplate  such  a 
spirit.  Never  forgetting  his  spiritual  birth-day,  yet  remember- 
ing his  constant  need  of  Divine  guidance  and  succor  ;  realizing 
that  "  it  is  not  in  man  that  walketh  to  direct  his  steps,"  yet 
exercising  all  due  vigilance  and  forethought ;  lamenting  his 
own  deficiencies,  yet  ever  hoping  in  the  salvation  of  God ;  ever 
panting  after  the  rest  of  heaven,  yet  neglecting  none  of  the 
duties  of  life.  As  he  knew  not  what  a  day  would  bring  forth, 
it  was  his  practical  maxim  "  to  live  by  the  day" — to  go  on  as 
if  he  were  to  see  the  fruits  of  his  toils,  and  yet  to  die  daily. 
Uniting  diligence  in  action  with  dependence  in  feeling;  pray- 
erfulness  of  spirit  with  rectitude  of  life  ;  grave  without  auster- 
ity, and  cheerful  without   frivolity ;  resolute  in  purpose,  yet 


RE\    WALTER  M   LUWRIE  AQj 

child-like  in  his  sympathies  ;  and  though  firm  in  his  conclu- 
sions, modest  in  his  utterances,  and  humble  in  his  walk,  he 
seems  to  us  to  have  been  pre-eminently  fitted  for  influence  and 
usefulness  in  his  field. 

"I  am  at  present  just  like  a  man  who  has  stopped  at  an  inn 
to  wait  for  letters  to  direct  his  future  course,  and  often  feel 
very  deeply  that '  I  am  a  stranger  in  the  earth.'  Of  one  thing, 
however,  I  am  truly  glad — nothing  has  yet  occurred  that  makes 
it  necessary  that  I  should  leave  China,  or  that  makes  it  at  all 
probable  that  I  shall  have  to  do  so.  There  is  scarcely  any 
thing  I  dread  more  than  the  idea  of  leaving  my  missionary 
work."— P.  183. 

"  How  the  time  rolls  on  !  It  seems  but  a  day  since  the  ship 
left  the  wharf  in  my  native  land ;  yet  more  than  a  year  has 
flown  away,  and  I  have  passed  through  scenes  that  make  me 
feel  as  if  many  years  had  been  crowded  into  one.  I  have  seen 
joy  and  sorrow  since  that  time.  I  have  felt  my  heart  lifted  as 
on  eagle's  wings,  and  again  it  has  sunk  to  the  earth.  I  have 
looked  on  the  ocean  when  calm  as  a  sleeping  infant's  slumbers  ; 
r  have  laid  my  hand  upon  its  foam-crested  waves,  and  felt 
that  half  an  inch  plank  and  slender  cord  alone  preserved  me 
from  going  down  like  lead  in  the  mighty  waters.  I  have  seen 
plan  after  plan  fail,  and  hope  after  hope  disappointed.  I  have 
stood  a  solitary  stranger  amid  thousands  who  spoke  a  differ- 
ent language,  without  being  able  to  vitter  a  word  that  they 
could  understand.  Again  and  again  have  I  been  taught  to 
say,  '  I  am  a  stranger  in  the  earth.'  Yet  withal  light  has 
arisen  to  me  in  darkness,  joy  has  come  to  me  in  sorrow,  and 
hope  has  sprung  up  after  disappointments  ;  for  '  tribulation 
worketh  patience,  and  patience  experience,  and  experience  hope, 


408  REV.  WALTER   M.  LOWRIE. 

and  hope  maketh  not  ashamed.'  The  love  of  God  is  shed 
abroad  upon  me  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  the  grace  of  Christ  is 
sufficient  for  me.  Would  I  go  back  ?  No  !  Do  I  regret  that 
I  came  ?  No  I  Lonely  as  I  am  at  times ;  sorrowful  often ; 
perplexed,  but  not  in  despair  ;  cast  down,  but  not  destroyed." 
—P.  195. 

"  It  is  encouraging  to  think  that  home  may  be  so  near.  We 
are  like  sailors,  who  have,  indeed,  a  compass  to  direct  our  course, 
but  no  means  of  ascertaining  when  our  voyage  will  end.  All 
around  is  one  wide  waste,  and  sea  and  sky  alone  meet  our  gaze. 
We  have  sailed  for  many  days  over  these  troubled  seas,  and  it 
may  be  many  days  yet  before  we  make  the  land  ;  and  yet  to- 
morrow morning  may  show  it  in  fall  view.  Our  time  can  not 
be  long.  Let  this,  then,  encourage  us  to  bear  cheerfully  its 
toils  and  trials,  and  to  labor  diligently  while  it  lasts." 

"By  God's  grace  I  am  preaching,  though  it  may  be  with 
stammering  lips,  and  my  prospects  of  mastering  the  language 
are  now  so  fair  that  I  would  be  very  unwilling  to  leave  this 
mission.  I  am,  therefore,  satisfied,  and  anxious  to  remain ;  and 
my  present  feeling,  which,  indeed,  has  always  been  my  feel- 
ing, is  not  to  leave,  unless  the  committee  who  took  the  respons- 
ibility of  sending  me  to  China  will  take  the  responsibility  of 
sending  me  away.  I  am  glad  and  happy  to  be  here.  It  is 
true,  I  am  lonely,  sometimes  very  lonely,  but  this  loneliness  is 
appointed  to  me  by  Him  who  knows  better  than  I  do  what  is 
best  for  me.  I  have  not  sought  it,  nor  run  into  it  rashly  ;  and 
in  due  season  it  will  be  diminished  ;  or  if  not,  then  it  is  best 
that  it  be  so ;  and  I  will,  if  not  gladly,  at  least  resignedly,  or 
if  not  resignedly,  at  least  praying  to  be  resigned,  '  confess  my- 
self a  stranger  and  a  pilgrim  on  the  earth.''  " — P.  390. 


> 


REV.  WALTER  M.  LOWRIE.  ^Qg 

Such  are  a  few  of  the  various  passages  which  may  be  gath- 
ered from  his  letters,  iUustrative  of  his  habitual  views  and  feel- 
ings ;  and  while  they  serve  to  enlist  our  sympathies,  they  fur- 
nish delightful  evidence  of  his  preparation  for  the  closing  scene 
of  his  life. 

In  May,  1847,  Mr.  Lowrie  left  Ningpo,  where  he  had  been 
a  little  more  than  two  years,  to  attend  the  convention  for  the 
revision  of  the  translation  of  the  New  Testament.  As  he  was 
only  twenty -eight  years  old,  he  knew  "  that  he  would  be  the 
youngest  member,"  and,  on  this  account,  thought  that  "he 
would  have  nothing  to  do  but  sit  still  and  listen  ;"  or,  if  the 
sessions  should  be  protracted,  that  he  would  continue  his  studies 
as  usual.  He  looked  forward,  however,  with  more  than  ordi- 
nary interest  to  the  principal  question  which  would  be  dis- 
cussed at  Shanghai,  and  that  was  in  reference  to  a  proper  term 
for  God  in  the  Chinese  language.  What  so  important  as  right 
views  of  the  Divine  nature  and  attributes — so  essential  to  the 
spread  of  pure  Christianity  among  the  myriads  of  idolaters  in 
China,  as  some  term  for  the  Divine  Being  which  could  not  be 
misunderstood  or  confounded  ?  In  the  consideration  of  this 
question,  as  is  evident  from  his  letters,  dated  Shanghai,  July 
23d,  29th,  and  August  8th,  1847,  he  was  most  anxiously  en- 
gaged, when  a  messenger  arrived  from  Ningpo  with  a  request 
that  he  would  immediately  return,  on  account  of  certain  occur- 
rences at  that  station.  Accompanied  by  his  long-tried  and 
faithful  servant,  and  by  another  Chinaman,  he  left  Shanghai 
on  Monday,  August  16th,  by  the  canal  to  Chapoo ;  and  think- 
ing to  expedite  his  return,  there  took  passage  in  a  boat  which 
was  to  sail  early  on  the  morning  of  the  19th.  The  wind  proved 
to  be  unfavorable,  and  the  boatmen  were  obliged  to  take  a 


/^■^Q  REV.  WALTER  M.  LOWRIE. 

southeasterly  direction,  and  had  proceeded  about  twelve  miles, 
M'hen  suddenly  a  piratical  vessel  was  seen  bearing  down  upon 
them  rapidly.  They,  with  most  of  the  passengers,  were  for 
returning,  but  Mr.  Lowrie  endeavored  to  allay  their  fears ;  and 
as  the  vessel  approached  nearer,  he  uplifted  a  small  American 
flag  which  he  carried  with  him,  but  to  no  purpose.  The  pirates 
speedily  boarded  the  boat  with  swords  and  spears,  and,  after 
beating  all  who  stood  in  their  way,  began  to  plunder.  The 
Chinamen  were  divested  of  their  clothing,  and  Mr.  Lowrie's 
servant  was  stripped  and  beaten ;  but  he,  having  of  his  own 
accord  given  them  the  key  of  his  trunk,  was  for  the  time  un- 
molested ;  and  not  being  able  to  endure  the  treatment  of  his 
servant,  after  requesting  them  to  desist,  as  the  poor  man  was 
sick,  went  on  deck,  and  there,  with  his  pocket  Bible  in  his 
hand,  seated  himself  on  the  windlass  to  await  the  issue. 

It  is  not  known  by  what  motives  the  pirates  were  influenced 
in  resolving  on  his  death.  It  might  have  been  from  the  impres- 
sion that,  as  he  was  a  man  of  influence,  he  would  incite  the  au- 
thorities against  them ;  or  swayed,  as  such  people  usually  are, 
by  some  ruthless  superstition,  they  might  have  thought  that 
the  sacrifice  of  a  foreigner  would  propitiate  their  idol-god.  This 
seems  the  more  probable  reason,  as  all  the  rest  on  board  were 
spared.  But  how  shall  we  record  the  manner  in  which  they 
executed  their  dark  purpose  ?  There  is  to  our  mind  something 
most  painfully  affecting  in  the  scene.  But  a  few  years  since 
he  was  kneeling  on  consecrated  ground,  surrounded  by  Chris- 
tian fathers  and  brethren,  who  laid  their  hands  on  his  head, 
and  set  him  apart  to  the  work  of  the  Gospel  ministry  in  Pagan 
lands  ;  now  pirates  come  about  him,  and  with  merciless  hands 
seize  and  overpower  him,  and  cast  him  into  the  raging  sea. 


REV.  WALTER   31.  LOWRIE.  411 

In  his  extremity,  he  naturally  made  for  the  vessel ;  but  the 
threatening  spears  of  his  assailants  caused  him  to  breast  the 
billows,  and,  after  a  few  brief  struggles,  he  sunk  to  rise  no 
more  until  the  sea  shall  give  up  its  dead. 

Thus  ended  the  missionary  career  of  Walter  M.  Lowrie,  a 
man  who  left  behind  him  few  equals,  no  superior,  in  the  field ; 
who,  though  young  in  years,  was  old  in  experience ;  who  had 
never  made  an  enemy  nor  alienated  a  friend  ;  who,  by  his 
judgment  and  fidelity,  had  won  the  esteem  and  confidence  of 
all  his  compeers,  and,  by  his  assiduity,  had  mastered  the  most 
difl[icult  of  all  the  written  languages,  and  prepared  himself  to 
act  with  efficiency  in  the  work  of  evangelizing  the  Chinese. 

We  know  not  how  he  felt  in  that  moment  when,  from  the 
deep  waters,  he  raised  his  eyes  for  the  last  time  to  the  light  of 
heaven;  but  it  is  pleasing  to  reflect  that  the  last  subject  which 
had  engaged  his  mind  evinced  his  extreme  solicitude  for  the 
Divine  glory,  especially  when  taken  in  connection  with  the  cir- 
cumstance mentioned  by  his  servants  on  their  return  to  the 
mission  with  his  effects,  that  as  his  murderers  were  throwing 
him  overboard,  he  threw  his  Bible  on  deck,  as  if  to  intimate 
by  that  act  that,  though  he  perished,  the  Word  of  God  would 
live  and  abide  forever ;  though  he  was  to  be  slain  by  wicked 
hands,  that  he  felt  for  their  spiritual  welfare,  and  bequeathed 
to  China,  as  his  legacy,  that  Bible,  which  had  been  the  com- 
panion of  his  journeyings,  the  source  of  his  consolations,  and 
of  his  hope  for  eternity. 

In  the  very  slightness  of  the  second  causes  that  resulted  in 
his  death,  we  may  only  the  more  clearly  discern  the  Divine  de- 
cree as  to  the  time  and  manner  of  his  death ;  and  in  the  place 
of  his  burial — that  sea,  where  his  Christian  graces  had  been 


412  ^^^-   W'^iTER  3/.  LOWRIE. 

SO  severely  tried ;  where  his  dreary  solitariness  had  brought 
him  to  a  more  intimate  acquaintance  with  himself,  his  Bible, 
and  his  Grod ;  where  Christ  was  seen  to  be  so  precious,  and 
heaven  so  near ;  where,  in  his  rescue  from  the  wreck  of  the 
Harmony,  he  had  had  a  foretaste  of  his  rescue  from  death  and 
hell — we  may  also  discern  the  reasons  why  Grod  so  ordered  his 
course. 

Mr.  Lowrie's  practical  sentiment  was  that  "  man's  heart  de- 
viseth  his  way,  but  the  Lord  directs  his  steps ;"  and  it  is  af- 
fecting, yet  consoling,  to  reflect  how  often  he  alluded  to  this 
passage  of  Holy  Writ :  before  he  set  out  from  home ;  on  the 
great  deep ;  on  the  China  Sea ;  on  his  return  to  Macao  ;  dur- 
ing his  journey  to  Ningpo,  and  particularly  when  he  thought 
of  the  way  in  which  he  had  been  led.  He  had  directed  all 
his  thoughts  and  wishes  toward  Africa,  and  had  mentally  tri- 
umphed over  every  objection  that  had  been  raised  against  his 
going.  Though  the  greater  proportion  of  those  who  had  gone 
to  Africa  had  died,  it  mattered  not ;  there  were  few  to  go,  and 
he  was  willing,  anxious  to  go.  His  views  were  overruled  by 
the  Executive  Committee  ;  and  one  thing  that  particularly  in- 
fluenced their  minds  was,  that,  if  they  sent  him  to  Africa,  they 
would  be,  in  all  probability,  consigning  him  to  an  early  grave. 
Here  is  what  we  call  prudence,  and  so  it  was ;  but  what  was 
the  result  ?  He  might  have  lived  had  he  gone  to  Africa ;  he 
met  his  death  in  China.  "Was  this  chance  ?  Oh  no !  it  was 
as  the  Lord  meant  it  should  be. 

We  are  apt  to  say,  "  'Tis  a  pity  that  one  so  young,  and  good, 
and  promising,  should  meet  such  an  end."  Ah !  how  difficult 
it  is  to  divest  ourselves  of  earth-born  sympathies  and  worldly 
associations  I     To  have  all  one's  cherished  hopes  of  worldly 


REV.  WALTER  M.  LOWRIE.  4]^3 

success  blasted  by  the  hand  of  an  untimely  death,  is  enough 
to  call  forth  sentiments  of  pity  from  those  who  know  no  higher 
ends  of  living  than  the  possessions  of  avarice  or  the  honors  of 
ambition.  But  Lowrie  had  been  offered  to  God  on  the  altar 
of  parental  piety,  set  apart  to  the  work  of  God  by  his  blood- 
bought  Church,  and  solemnly,  unreservedly,  had  consecrated 
himself  to  G-od.  He  went  forth,  therefore,  to  do  the  work,  and 
to  await  the  bidding  of  his  G-od  ;  to  do  whatever  he  was  called 
to  do ;  bear  whatever  he  was  called  to  bear ;  live  long,  or  die 
soon,  as  God  pleased.  The  blessed  reflection  that  he  was  sent 
sustained  him  amid  trials,  encouraged  him  amid  difficulties, 
cheered  him  amid  his  hours  of  loneliness,  and  incited  him  to 
patient  perseverance  ;  and  so  he  was — God  sent  him,  and  God 
took  him,  for  God  had  need  of  him. 

To  our  short-sighted  vision,  had  he  lived  he  might  have  ac- 
complished a  great  work  ;  but  not  greater  than  the  good  which 
may  yet  be  accomplished  by  the  time  and  manner  of  his  death. 
It  was  a  similar  consideration  that  so  powerfully  arrested  his 
own  mind,  when,  in  the  beginning  of  his  Christian  life,  he 
heard  from  the  pulpit  of  the  church  at  Canonsburgh  an  allu- 
sion to  the  deaths  of  Lyman  and  Munson.  The  horrible  fate 
those  men  of  God  encountered  awakened  the  Church  from  its 
slumber,  and  called  forth  new  laborers  into  the  foreign  field  ; 
and,  in  like  manner,  the  tragic  end  of  Lowrie  awakened  atten- 
tion to  China,  which  perhaps  could  not  in  any  other  way  have 
been  so  effectually  secured  ;  while  it  has  occasioned  the  publi- 
cation, and  insured  the  circulation  of  his  journals,  letters,  and 
sermons,*  which  can  not  be  read  without  interest,  and  will, 

*  Sermons  preached  in  China,  by  W.  M.  Lowrie.     New  York :  Carter  and 
Brothers.     1851. 


414  REV.  WALTER  M.  LOWRIE. 

we  doubt  not,  in  various  ways,  permanently  subserve  the  cause 
of  religion  both  at  home  and  abroad.  Already  have  several, 
full  of  promise,  gone  to  tread  in  his  steps  ;  and  we  can  not  but 
hope  that  they  who  read  this  sketch  will  seek  a  more  intimate 
acquaintance  with  his  life  and  character  through  the  medium 
of  his  published  writings,  and  thus  will  be  incited  to  pray  more, 
and  do  more,  for  those  who  are  now,  as  Lowrie  was,  praying 
and  laboring  for  "  them  that  sit  in  darkness  and  in  the  regions 
of  the  shadow  of  death." 


JANE  I.  WHITE. 


MRS.  JANE   ISABEL   WHITE, 

MISSIONARY     SOCIETY    OF     THE     METHODIST     EPISCOPAL     CHURCH. 

BY     REV.    M.    J.    HICKOK, 

Rochester,  New  York. 

i  HE  subject  of  this  notice  was  born  in  Homer,  Cortland 
county,  New  York,  August  26th,  1822.  Her  parents,  Ezra 
Atwater  and  Esther  Learning,  were  natives  of  Connecticut, 
and  inherited  the  principles  and  spirit  of  their  Puritan  ances- 
tors. Isabel  was  deprived  of  her  mother  when  only  four  years 
of  age  ;  but  she  had,  in  that  brief  period,  received  impressions 
from  her  faithful  Christian  nurture  which  were  never  entirely 
effaced.  She  remembered  distinctly  standing  by  her  bedside 
and  receiving  her  dying  charge.  The  scene  was  never  forgot- 
ten. Those  parting  counsels  sunk  into  the  mind  of  the  child, 
and  did  much  to  mould  it  to  its  peculiar  pattern. 

Miss  Atwater's  early  education  was  strictly  religious.  Her 
father,  especially,  was  devotedly  pious,  and  exhibited  his  re- 
ligion in  a  remarkable  degree  in  the  domestic  circle.  Never 
will  his  children  forget  the  solemn  warnings  and  earnest  ap- 
peals addressed  to  them  individually  every  Saturday  evening. 
In  Mr.  Atwater's  family  that  evening  was  sacred  time,  and  its 
hallowing  influence  did  much  to  impress  upon  his  children  that 
rare  stamp  of  Christian  character  for  which  they  are  remark- 
able. Yet  Isabel  ever  maintained  that  his  prayers  were  more 
effectual  than  his  counsels.     "We  knew,"  she  wrote  to  a  friend 

Dd 


418  MRS.  JANE  ISABEL   WHITE. 

just  before  she  left  America,  "  the  stated  times  and  places  of 
his  intercession  for  us,  and  even  then  felt  its  influence," 

She  never  knew  the  date  of  her  conversion  to  Christ.  Her 
early  years  were  passed  amid  the  sweet  influences  of  a  Chris- 
tian family, 

"  Bound  each  to  each  by  natural  piety." 

Exceedingly  amiable  in  her  disposition,  docile  in  temper,  and 
active  in  the  acquisition  of  knowledge,  she  discharged  her 
Christian  duties  with  a  zeal  and  a  relish  uncommon  for  chil- 
dren. She  could  not  remember  the  time  when  she  did  not  en- 
deavor to  perform  them.  Many  recollected  changes  occurred 
in  her  religious  experience  ;  but  they  were  obviously  the  suc- 
cessive developments  of  Christian  character.  One  of  the  most 
marked  and  decisive  of  these  changes  occurred  at  the  time  of 
her  public  profession  of  religion. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen  she  left  home  for  the  purpose  of  pur- 
suing her  studies  at  the  Seminary  in  Cazenovia,  Madison  coun- 
ty, New  York.  Here  she  entered  upon  a  new  theatre  of  ex- 
istence. Her  grasping  desire  for  knowledge  could  now  be  grat- 
ified. Her  religious  character  was  to  be  subjected  to  new  tests, 
and  more  severe  exposures  than  she  had  ever  before  known. 
"Thrown  among  perfect  strangers,"  she  says  of  herself  at  this 
period,  "destitute  of  pious  influence  and  restraint  in  my  new 
home,  I  felt  that  the  time  had  come  for  me  to  choose  on  whose 
side  I  would  rank  myself ;  but  I  allowed  nearly  a  year  to  pass 
before  I  confessed  Christ  before  the  world.  I  waited  for  some 
one  to  encourage  me  and  invite  me  to  his  fold,  till  I  dared  not 
wait  any  longer."  She  united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  Cazenovia,  in  the  year  1839 ;  and  from  that  time 


MRS.  JANE  ISABEL    WHITE.  ^^Q 

until  the  day  of  her  death  she  was  emphatically  a  "  burning 
and  a  shining  light." 

In  the  autumn  of  1842,  after  her  graduation  at  the  Seminary, 
she  went  to  reside  in  Rochester,  and  the  next  April  connected 
herself  with  the  Washington  Street  Presbyterian  Church  in 
that  city.  Her  manner  and  spirit,  in  the  various  walks  of 
Christian  usefulness  there,  are  yet  held  in  grateful  remem- 
brance. Modest,  retiring,  unobtrusive,  she  literally  "did  good 
by  stealth."  "Whatever  sphere  of  activity  demanded  most  self- 
denial  and  humility,  there  she  was  found,  struggling  with  dif- 
ficulties, patiently  removing  obstacles,  cheering  with  her  con- 
stant ardor,  and  charming  by  her  lovely  spirit,  all  who  came 
into  contact  with  her. 

The  field  of  her  chief  labor  and  solicitude  in  Rochester  was 
the  infant  department  of  the  Sabbath-school  in  the  Washing- 
ton Street  Church.  This  was  a  laborious  and  responsible  post. 
From  thirty  to  sixty  children  were  constantly  under  her  care. 
The  most  of  them  had  no  other  religious  training  than  that 
which  they  received  in  that  school.  Over  them  all  her  large 
heart  yearned  with  Christian  tenderness ;  and  her  hands  and 
feet  were  swift  to  perform  every  kind  oifice  for  their  temporal 
and  eternal  welfare.  No  one  knew,  not  even  her  nearest  rela- 
tives, how  much  labor  and  solicitude  she  bestowed  upon  that 
neglected  class  of  children.  In  the  judgment  of  her  friends, 
she  often  overtaxed  her  strength ;  and  to  allay  their  anxiety 
in  her  behalf,  she  performed  an  untold  amount  of  secret  labor, 
in  visiting  from  house  to  house,  and  praying  with  the  objects 
of  her  compassion.  In  speaking  of  this  school,  after  her  con- 
nection with  it  had  ceased,  she  said,  "  Though  sometimes  a 
sense  of  responsibility  connected  with  it  has  been  so  great  as 


420  MRS.  JANE   ISABEL    WHITE. 

to  affect  my  health,  I  have  ever  felt  it  to  be  a  blessed  work. 
My  confidence  in  its  efficacy  is  constantly  increasing.  It  has 
enlarged  my  heart  toward  every  little  child  I  meet,  with  strong' 
desires  that  they  may  be  included  in  the  kingdom  of  Grod,  and 
become  active  laborers  in  his  vineyard.  May  He  forgive  me, 
if  I  have  loved  the  Sabbath-school  cause  too  well  or  attached 
too  much  importance  to  it." 

Her  attention  was  turned  to  the  subject  of  missions  as  early 
as  1841.  In  the  autumn  of  that  year,  while  enjoying  a  pecul- 
iar manifestation  of  the  Savior's  love,  her  mind  was  directed 
to  the  condition  of  the  heathen  by  an  incidental  remark.  The 
impression  that  it  was  her  dufi/,  together  with  the  desire  that 
it  might  be  her  lot,  to  labor  personally  and  directly  in  their  be- 
half, from  that  time  began  to  take  possession  of  her  soul. 
These  feelings  deepened  and  strengthened,  till  she  was  led  to 
consecrate  herself,  body,  mind,  and  heart,  to  this  great  work. 
She  solemnly  resolved  that,  while  life  and  health  were  spared, 
she  would  hold  herself  in  readiness  to  engage  in  it,  whenever 
and  wherever  the  providence  of  God  should  direct. 

This  deliberate  purpose  of  her  soul,  however,  was  subjected 
to  a  severe  trial.  For  nearly  four  years  she  could  see  no  way 
of  its  realization.  But  she  never  once  faltered.  In  heart  and 
life  she  was  a  missionary.  She  conscientiously  adopted  those 
habits  of  self-denial  and  endurance  which  she  supposed  would 
be  necessary  upon  the  foreign  field.  In  her  dress,  intercourse, 
conversation,  and  whole  style  of  living,  she  endeavored  to  ex- 
emplify the  true  missionary  spirit.  This  became  at  length 
her  master-passion.  The  society  of  friends,  the  ties  of  rela- 
tionship, the  dearest  earthly  love,  were  all  made  to  bend  stern- 
ly to  this  one  controlling  desire  of  her  life. 


MRS.  JANE  ISABEL    WHITE  401 

Her  acquaintance  with  Mr.  White  reached  back  to  the  days 
when  they  were  pursuing  their  studies  together  at  Cazenovia ; 
hut  their  marriage  engagement  was  of  very  short  duration. 
She  had  conditioned  it  resolutely  on  the  question  of  his  receiv- 
ing an  appointment  to  a  foreign  field.  That  question  was  for 
years  in  painful  doubt.  After  he  had  offered  his  services  to  the 
Board,  there  was  much  hesitation  and  delay  in  his  appointment. 

At  length  the  establishment  of  a  new  mission  in  the  Chinese 
Empire  was  agreed  upon  by  the  Methodist  Church,  and  Mr. 
White  was  strongly  recommended  as  a  suitable  pioneer  mis- 
sionary to  that  vast  and  difficult  field.  But  the  decision  final- 
ly settled  upon  an  older  man,  and  he  supposed  that  his  labors 
must  necessarily  be  expended  at  home. 

When  this  intelligence  was  communicated  to  Miss  Atwater, 
it  fell  upon  her  like  a  thunder-bolt !  The  cherished  object  of 
her  life  seemed  to  be  dashed  to  the  earth — her  only  idolatry 
broken  and  rebuked !  It  was  a  heavy  blow,  and  her  sensitive 
soul  struggled  with  it  in  silence.  An  informal  note  to  a  con- 
fidential friend  reveals  to  us  the  working  of  her  spirit  under 
this  sore  disappointment.  "I  received  a  short  letter  yesterday, 
but  long  enough  to  tell  me  that  I  am  disappointed .'  The 
question  is  decided,  almost — scarcely  a  vestige  of  hope  re- 
mains !  ^  *  *  I  did  not  look  forward  to  the  appointment 
with  certainty ;  but  my  dearest  hopes  and  wishes  were  cen- 
tered there,  more  firmly  than  I  had  supposed.  I  feel  as  if  set 
adrift,  with  regard  to  every  plan  or  scheme  for  the  future ! 
*  *  *  This  event  will  be  the  signal  for  the  renewal  of 
mental  conflict  which  has  raged  for  two  years,  and  which  only 
subsided  while  that  question  was  still  uncertain.  A  favorable 
decision  would  have  ended  that  conflict  forever !     But  if  the 


^22  MRS.  JANE  ISABEL    WHITE. 

recommendation  of  the  bishop  is  carried  into  effect,  the  pole- 
star  of  my  existence  for  the  last  few  years  will  he  blotted  from 
the  sky  !     It  is,  indeed,  a  dark  cloud  that  now  intervenes." 

These  expressions  indicate  the  deepest  emotion.  By  far  the 
most  painful  struggle  of  her  life  occurred  at  this  time.  Should 
she  give  up  her  cherished  missionary  longings,  and  settle  down 
upon  this  decision  as  the  expressed  will  of  Providence  ?  Most 
individuals  would  not  have  hesitated  to  do  so.  But  she  could 
not  thus  sever  herself  from  the  cherished  purpose  of  her  soul. 
While  she  bowed  in  silent  submission  to  the  dark  dispensation, 
she  did  not  relinquish  the  hope  of  spending  her  life  as  a  mis- 
sionary. Her  fear  on  that  point  was  her  only  bitterness.  There 
were  no  groveling  or  selfish  feelings  in  her  experience.  She 
could  have  become  the  wife  of  a  promising  young  minister  at 
home — for  such  Mr.  White  was  acknowledged  to  Tdc  ;  and  his 
regard  for  her  did  not  originate  in  his  missionary  tastes  and 
purposes.  But  the  grand  difficulty  which  weighed  upon  her 
spirits  and  enfeebled  her  health  was,  to  give  up  the  cherished 
passion  of  her  life,  and  leave  the  heathen  world  to  die  without 
any  personal  agency  in  giving  it  the  G-ospel ! 

The  singular  train  of  providences  which  resulted  in  substi- 
tuting Mr.  White  for  the  man  who  had  been  originally  desig- 
nated to  that  field  need  not  be  here  explained.  They  were 
unanticipated,  and,  to  human  view,  mysterious.  The  final  ap- 
pointment was  made  but  a  few  weeks  before  the  missionaries 
sailed.  But  they  were  weeks  of  high  exultation  to  Mrs.  White. 
She  had  been  brought  to  submit  cheerfully  to  the  great  Dis- 
poser of  all  events  before  she  had  any  intimation  of  his  will  in 
the  ultimate  disposition  of  this  matter.  She  herself  recognized 
in  her  own  unaccountable  calmness,  even  when  all  was  dark, 


MRS.  JANE  ISABEL   WHITE.  ^23 

the  assurance  that  her  chief  desire  should  be  gratified.  "  I 
will  bring  the  blind  by  a  way  that  they  know  not,"  was  to 
her  not  only  a  sweet  promise,  but  a  prophetic  announcement. 
She  trusted  it,  and  found  that  her  confidence  was  not  mis- 
placed. She  entered  upon  the  missionary  work  at  last  under 
circumstances  more  auspicious,  perhaps,  than  she  had  ever  pic- 
tured to  her  glowing  fancy. 

She  was  united  in  marriage  to  Rev.  Moses  C.  White,  in  the 
Washington  Street  Church,  Rochester,  before  a  large  concourse 
of  sympathizing  friends,  March  13th,  1847,  and  sailed  from 
Boston,  in  the  ship  "  Heber,"  on  the  15th  of  April  following. 

After  a  pleasant  and  prosperous  voyage  of  one  hundred  and 
ten  days,  they  came  in  sight  of  China,  August  14th,  and  cast 
anchor  off  Macao  the  same  evening.  They  remained  several 
days  in  the  vicinity  of  Canton,  and  reached  Fuh-Chau,  the 
place  of  their  destination,  September  7th,  1847. 

Of  the  five  consular  cities  or  ports  of  China  open  to  foreign- 
ers, this  is  the  middle  one,  and,  in  point  of  population,  the  sec- 
ond. In  all  respects,  perhaps,  this  is  the  most  desirable  place 
of  residence  for  missionaries  in  China.  It  is  situated  thirty 
miles  from  the  ocean,  on  the  River  Min,  which  for  beauty, 
grandeur,  and  sublimity  is  said  to  surpass  the  noble  Hudson. 
The  city  and  suburbs  are  supposed  to  contain  six  hundred 
thousand  inhabitants.  It  is  built  in  a  vast  amphitheatre, 
mostly  on  the  north  side  of  the  river.  The  city  walls  are  seven 
or  eight  miles  in  circumference,  while  the  suburbs  contain 
nearly  as  many  inhabitants  as  the  city  itself.  A  small  island 
in  the  river,  densely  populated,  constitutes  one  of  these  sub- 
urbs. Upon  this  island  Mr.  and  Mrs.  White  took  up  their  resi- 
dence.    Here,  amid  the  most  charming  scenery  in  the  world, 


424  MRS.  JANE  ISABEL   WHITE. 

surrounded  by  six  hundred  thousand  perishing  heathen,  whose 
earthly  ahodes  could  all  be  seen  at  a  single  glance,  she  entered 
upon  her  actual  missionary  life.  Here  all  her  evangelical  sym- 
pathies were  awakened,  and  she  devoted  herself  to  her  prepar- 
atory labors  with  a  zeal  too  fervent  for  her  delicate  constitution. 
She  managed  the  domestic  concerns  of  a  considerable  family, 
and  spent  several  hours  of  each  day  in  intense  study,  endeavor- 
ing to  master  the  gigantic  difficulties  of  the  Chinese  language. 
"Whenever  she  went  about  the  streets,  she  was  thronged  with 
benighted  women  and  children,  to  whom  she  longed  to  com- 
municate the  knowledge  of  a  Savior.  But  her  tongue  was 
tied  !  The  gift  of  speech  in  that  most  difficult  of  all  languages 
was,  indeed,  an  acquisition  highly  to  be  prized.  Mrs,  White 
desired  it  earnestly,  and  sought  it  with  a  vigor  and  perseverance 
which  broke  her  constitution,  and  probably  cut  short  her  days. 
She  had  contracted  a  slight  cold  in  the  autumn,  soon  after  she 
arrived  in  the  country,  and  her  extraordinary  labors  in  the 
exhausting  atmosphere  of  an  unusually  warm,  damp  winter, 
brought  on  a  disease  of  the  lungs  which  carried  her  rapidly  to 
the  grave. 

That  remarkable  exhilaration  of  spirits  at  the  prospect  of  de- 
voting her  life  to  the  missionary  work,  which  to  her  friends 
was  so  wonderful  and  so  distressing — swallowing  up  all  the 
pain  of  parting  with  them  and  with  her  dear  native  land  in  one 
absorbing  passion — never  once  left  her!  All  who  knew  her 
feared  the  reaction  of  a  toilsome  missionary  life  upon  such  high 
excitement ;  but  it  never  came  ! 

"When  leaving  the  harbor  of  Boston,  and  the  blue  hills  of  her 
home  and  country  were  fast  sinking  behind  her,  she  felt  no 
misgivings — no  gloom.     "  That  blue  line  of  native  land,"  she 


MRS.  JANE  ISABEL   WHITE  Ans 

wrote  to  a  friend,  "it  is  engraven  indelibly  upon  my  memory; 
I  would  not  have  it  effaced ;  but  I  saw  the  last  dim  outline 
without  any  regret."  The  tedious  and  enervating  monotony 
of  sea-life  never  affected  her  spirits.  For  nearly  four  months 
the  dull  routine  of  ship-scenery  and  employments  was  entered 
upon  with  unimpaired  relish.  This  triumphant  devotion  to  her 
chosen  work  never  abated,  amid  all  the  toils  and  trials  of  a  new 
missionary  field  in  the  heart  of  the  Chinese  empire.  Even 
withering  consumption,  as  it  advanced  with  remorseless  steps, 
could  not  quench  her  enthusiasm. 

When  it  became  apparent  that  she  must  sink  very  quickly 
to  the  grave  under  that  debilitating  climate,  her  husband,  in 
accordance  with  the  advice  of  her  physician,  proposed  to  her  to 
I'eturn  to  America  as  the  only  hope  of  saving  her  life.  She 
burst  into  tears,  and  said  "she  could  not  bear  the  idea  of  leav- 
ing the  field  ;  she  came  to  labor  and  to  die  there,  whenever  G-od 
saw  fit  to  call  her."  That  spirit  of  cheerful  and  even  joyous 
resignation  to  the  will  of  God  continued  till  the  close  of  life. 
Her  last  words  to  her  brother  were  as  calm  and  peaceful  as  if 
they  concerned  the  most  common  matter.  She  writes :  "  I  have 
no  hope  of  recovery  ;  but  what  of  it  ?  I  know  in  whom  I  have 
believed,  and  there  is  no  reason  why  I  should  be  cast  down. 
I  can  see  the  hand  of  God,  plainer  now  than  ever,  in  bringing 
me  here,  though  for  so  short  a  time.  I  had  much  rather  lay 
my  bones  here  in  China  than  in  America." 

As  the  spring  advanced,  the  symptoms  of  her  disease  became 
alarmingly  worse.  Every  effort  in  the  power  of  the  mission 
was  put  forth  to  arrest  it,  but  all  in  vain.  The  little  mission- 
ary band,  to  whom  she  had  strongly  attached  herself,  gather- 
ed around  her  dying  couch,  and  zealously  ministered  to  every 


^gg  MRS.  JANE  ISABEL   WHITE. 

want.  But  they  could  not  arrest  the  approach  of  the  Destroy- 
er. His  very  foot-prints  began  to  be  visible,  and  Mrs.  Wliite 
was  told  that  she  could  live  but  a  few  hours.  She  manifest- 
ed no  surprise — no  fear.  She  asked  the  privilege  of  being  alone 
with  her  husband  for  a  little  season,  before  they  parted  to  meet 
on  earth  no  more. 

The  sacred  privacies  of  that  sweet  and  awful  hour  we  may 
not  invade.  A  single  passage  only  of  that  high  communion  we 
are  permitted  to  contemplate.  When  assured  that  no  one  else 
could  hear  what  she  said,  the  dying  saint,  drawing  her  earthly 
companion  close  to  her  bosom,  delivered  her  dying  charge. 
"  My  dear  husband,  live  for  one  thing,  and  one  only — only  one 
thing — -just  one  thing- — the  glory  of  Gtod  ! — The  glory  of 
GroD  !"  When  asked  if  she  was  afraid  to  die,  she  replied,  in  a 
slow,  clear,  and  collected  manner,  "  No  I  I  am  not  afraid  to 
die — I  am  not  afraid  to  stand  before  the  judgment-seat.  But 
it  is  because  I  trust  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  I  felt  myself 
perfectly  helpless,  and  I  renounced  every  other  dependence, 
and  cast  myself  entirely  on  Christ,  arid  now  I  am  not  afraid 
to  die." 

It  was  late  in  the  evening,  and  all  the  missionary  brethren 
stood  once  more  around  her  bed.  She  thanked  them  for  their 
great  kindness  to  her,  especially  during  her  last  sickness.  She 
gave  each  of  them  some  solemn  parting  message,  and  in  the 
presence  of  them  all,  and  almost  with  the  disinterestedness  of 
an  angel,  said  to  her  husband,  "  Mr.  White,  I  beg  of  you,  not 
for  my  sake,  but  for  the  sake  of  these  poor  heathen,  that  you 
control  yourself,  and  avoid  giving  way  to  your  feelings,  when 
I  am  gone,  for  at  least  three  months  ;  and  let  them  see  how  Je- 
sus can  support  his  people  in  times  of  trial."    Her  attachment 


MRS.  JANE  ISABEL   WHITE.  ^O? 

to  the  cause  of  missions  burned  to  the  last.  It  was  obviously 
her  "  ruling  passion  strong  in  death."  It  swallowed  up  the 
love  of  friends  and  of  life.  Amid  the  absorbing  interests  and 
mysteries  of  a  dying  moment,  she  would  press  even  the  an- 
guish of  parting,  and  the  desolations  of  the  mourner,  into  the 
means  of  its  advancement ! 

She  lingered  through  the  night  in  a  partially  unconscious 
state,  and  at  eighteen  minutes  before  eight  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing. May  24th,  in  China,  but  about  seven  o'clock  in  the  even- 
ing. May  23d,  American  time,  she  fell  asleep  in  Jesus,  aged 
twenty-six  years. 

The  next  day,  in  the  afternoon,  a  sermon  was  preached  by 
Rev,  Mr.  Collins,  the  colleague  of  Mr.  White,  and  the  body,  in 
a  rude  coffin,  suspended  from  bamboo  poles,  and  borne  on  the 
shoulders  of  four  Chinamen,  was  conveyed  to  the  cemetery. 
The  small  and  stricken  procession  moved  through  a  curious 
crowd  of  stupid  heathen,  who  mourned  not,  because  they  knew 
not  their  loss. 

The  missionary  burying-ground,  selected  a  few  months  be- 
fore this  event,  is  situated  in  a  retired  and  romantic  spot,  some 
distance  up  the  southern  hills.  There,  under  a  wide-spread- 
ing olive-tree,  deep  in  the  soil  of  that  land  she  loved  so  well, 
lie  the  mortal  remains  of  our  dear  departed  sister,  peacefully 
awaiting  the  "  resurrection  of  the  just." 

Such  zeal  and  devotion,  brief  as  may  be  their  career,  are 
the  choicest  legacies  which  can  be  left  the  cause  of  missions. 
They  dignify  our  common  humanity,  and  shed  new  value  and 
beauty  upon  our  Christian  hopes.  The  reality  and  power  of 
the  grace  of  Grod  are  placed  before  us  in  new  vividness.  The 
worth  of  the  soul  and  the  nearness  of  eternity  impress  us  with 


^2Q  MRS.  JANE  ISABEL   WHITE 

extraordinary  solemnity,  in  the  light  of  such  a  life  as  that  of 
Mrs.  White.  She  trampled  upon  difficulties  ;  she  courted  self- 
sacrifice,  and  counted  not  her  own  life  dear.  No  pleasure 
could  fill  her  soul  like  the  angelic  luxury  of  doing  good.  No 
enjoyment  could  elevate  and  thrill  her  very  being,  like  the 
privilege  of  devoting  herself  to  the  welfare  of  the  dying  hea- 
then. This  master-desire  of  her  heart  was  gratified,  and  she 
rejoices,  we  can  not  douht,  with  all  an  angel's  emotion,  that 
she  was  permitted  to  die  for  the  cause  of  missions. 

Although  she  did  not  survive  her  preparatory  work — although 
she  was  not  permitted  to  utter  a  single  saving  truth,  nor  un- 
fold one  Gospel  promise  to  the  perishing  Chinese,  over  whom 
her  heart  yearned  so  intensely,  yet  she  lived  not  in  vain.  Her 
martyr-spirit  shall  be  a  perpetual  source  of  missionary  power. 
She,  "  being  dead,  yet  speaketh."  While  her  memory  lives  in 
that  crowded  valley  of  the  Min,  evangelical  labors  there  shall 
be  quickened  with  a  holier  devotion.  Many  a  tired  laborer 
may  hereafter  stir  up  his  flagging  energies  by  a  visit  to  her 
grave.  Many  a  chafed  and  weary  brother,  ready  to  sink  un- 
der the  burdens  of  missionary  life  in  that  dark  empire,  per- 
chance shall  be  thrilled  with  loftier  heroism,  as  he  recalls  the 
modest  activity,  the  quiet  enthusiasm,  the  quenchless  ardor 
and  triumphant  end  of  Jane  Isabel  White,  of  Fuh-Chau. 


MELVILLE  B.  COX. 


Fac  Simile  from  Mr.  Cox's  Journal  durkng  his  last  Sickness 


REV.  MELVILLE   BEVERIDaE    COX, 

MISSIONARY     SOCIETY     OF    THE     METHODIST     EPISCOPAL     CHURCH. 

BY    REV.   \V.    P.    STRICKLAND,    D.D., 
Dayton,  Ohio. 

JL  HE  life  of  man  here  constitutes  the  smallest  part  of  his 
history.  Though  "  death  is  life's  last  shore,"  teyond  the  dark 
sea  there  is  another  shore  where,  immeasurahly  transcending 
the  farthest  stretch  of  thought,  extends  the  spirit's  realm  of  be- 
ing and  action,  and  where,  unfettered  and  free,  it  shall  be  left 
to  work  out  in  its  allotted  sphere  the  purposes  of  its  Creator 
forever.  All  the  designs  of  the  great  Author  of  existence 
have  a  wise  and  benevolent  end  ;  and  though  the  wisdom  of 
man  may  fail  to  fathom  the  purposes  of  God  in  the  events 
connected  with  the  lives  of  individuals  in  this  world,  yet  the 


432  ^^^-  MELVILLE  B.  COX. 

mystery  will  be  cleared  up  when  "  the  perfect  has  come,  and 
when  that  which  is  only  in  part  shall  be  done  away." 

While  to  man  objectively  there  is  a  present  and  a  future 
life,  corresponding  to  this  subjectively  there  is  an  inner  and  an 
outer  life.  The  inner  life  may  always  remain  hidden  and  un- 
known, eluding  the  cognizance  of  the  most  inquisitive.  The 
inner  life  of  some  is  clear  and  transparent  as  the  lake  that  re- 
veals in  the  sunlight  all  that  lies  down  its  depths ;  while  that 
of  others  resembles  a  dark,  leaden  stream,  confined  by  frown- 
ing, rocky  banks,  and  reflecting  no  light  from  its  sullen  waters. 
The  language  of  the  one  is  the  outpouring  of  the  heart,  while 
that  of  the  other  affords  a  remarkable  illustration  of  Talley- 
rand's doctrine,  that  "language  was  invented  to  enable  man  to 
conceal,  instead  of  express  his  thoughts."  Those  in  whom  the 
inner  life  is  revealed  are  "living  epistles,  known  and  read  of  all 
men,"  "children  of  the  light  and  of  the  day,"  whose  character 
stands  out  undisguised,  and  whose  very  thoughts  can  be  seen 
in  the  transparency  which  surrounds  them.  The  path  of  such 
is  as  "  the  shining  light,  that  shine th  more  and  more  unto  the 
perfect  day." 

Of  this  class  was  Melville  B,  Cox,  the  first  missionary  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  to  Africa,  and  the  first  ever 
sent  by  that  Church  to  a  foreign  land.  Through  all  the  stages 
of  his  brief  and  brilliant  career  the  inner  life  was  apparent, 
and  all  with  whom  he  was  acquainted  unite  in  conceding  that 
he  was  a  "burning  and  a  shining  light." 

Of  a  naturally  amiable  and  truth-loving  disposition,  those 
traits  of  character  which  distinguished  him  in  after-life  were 
early  developed  under  the  training  of  pious  parents.  To  those 
gifts  of  nature  with  which  he  was  liberally  endowed,  and  the 


REV.  MELVILLE  B.  COX.  433 

genial  circumstances  in  which  he  was  placed,  may  be  added 
the  gifts  of  grace,  the  bestowal  of  which  have  ever  been  re- 
garded as  constituting  the  ground  of  difference  in  character 
among  men. 

Though  the  subject  of  gracious  influences  in  very  early  life, 
it  was  not  until  the  age  of  nineteen,  while  engaged  as  a  clerk 
in  a  book-store,  in  Hallowell,  his  native  town,  that  he  was  fully 
awakened  to  a  sense  of  his  lost  condition  as  a  sinner,  and  a 
consciousness  of  his  need  of  pardoning  mercy  in  the  blood  of 
the  Lamb.  His  convictions  were  of  such  a  nature  as  to  over- 
whelm him  with  the  most  distressing  state  of  mind,  bordering 
on  despair,  under  the  influence  of  which  life  lost  its  charms, 
and  business  its  incentives  to  action.  His  thoughts  could  not 
be  turned  into  any  channel  in  which  he  could  find  comfort  or 
relief.  It  was  impossible  for  the  world  to  impart  the  peace  for 
which  he  so  ardently  longed.  He  fled  to  the  woods,  and  alone, 
in  the  deep  shade  of  that  solitude,  he  wrestled  in  agonizing 
prayer  for  mercy.  He  had  made  the  last  resolve,  and  em- 
braced the  last  alternative,  either  to  pray  and  perish,  or  find 
mercy  there.  As  it  has  always  been  manifested  that  man's 
extremity  is  Grod's  opportunity,  while  he  prayed  the  heaven  of 
God's  mercy  was  opened,  the  voice  of  Grod's  love,  soft  and 
sweet  as  the  "  still  small  voice"  that  succeed  the  earthquake 
which  rent  the  mountains,  whispered  peace  to  his  troubled  soul, 
and  he  was  enabled  to  rise  and  go  on  his  way  rejoicing  in  the 
salvation  of  Grod. 

Though  he  was  a  diligent  student,  and  ambitious  to  excel 
in  literary  pursuits,  the  love  of  G-od  shed  abroad  in  his  heart 
filled  him  with  stronger  impulses,  and  fired  him  with  a  holier 
zeal  and  loftier  ambition  than  he  was  ever  conscious  of  before. 

E   E 


434  ^^^-  MELVILLE  B.  COX. 

Finding  that  the  vows  of  God  were  upon  him,  he  could  not 
stop  to  pluck  the  flowers  which  bloomed  in  the  gardens  of 
earthly  literature,  but  bent  all  his  energies  to  the  great  work 
of  preparation  for  the  duties  of  the  sacred  office.  In  a  few 
years,  accordingly,  he  entered  the  field  of  the  itinerancy,  and 
labored  with  an  untiring  zeal  to  win  souls  to  Christ.  De- 
termined to  make  all  the  sacrifices  incident  to  the  life  of  a 
Methodist  preacher  in  encountering  hard  circuits  and  poor  fare, 
he  traveled  from  year  to  year,  until  he  was  obliged,  under  the 
pressure  of  the  hardships  which  he  endured,  and  which  told 
fearfully  on  his  delicate  constitution,  to  retire  from  the  field, 
worn  and  weary  with  itinerant  toils. 

For  the  purpose  of  recruiting  his  health  (that  he  might  again 
enter  upon  the  work  of  his  Master),  he  traveled  south  as  far 
as  Maryland,  where  he  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  In 
the  mean  time,  he  married  a  lady  every  way  suited  to  him,  and 
possessed  of  every  accomplishment  necessary  to  make  her  a 
most  desirable  companion.  But  in  the  providence  of  Grod  he 
was  called  to  pass  through  the  deepest  mental  sufferings,  and 
the  bitterest  cup  he  had  to  drink  was  that  of  seeing  this  loved 
wife  fade  away  in  death.  He  bowed  beneath  the  rod,  and 
came  out  of  his  afflictions  with  a  subdued  and  chastened  spir- 
it, resigned  to  the  will  of  Him  "who  doeth  all  things  well." 

We  once  saw  in  the  title-page  of  a  religious  annual  an  en- 
graving of  a  lighted  lamp,  with  the  following  inscription  be- 
low it:  '■'■  Aliis  in  serviendo  consumor ;''"'  the  translation  of 
which  is,  "In  serving  others,  I  am  consumed."  So  it  was 
with  the  youthful  Cox.  Impulsive  and  ardent,  he  resolved  not 
to  rust  out,  or  even  wear  out,  but  to  burn  out  in  the  service 
of  his  Lord  and  Master.     When  unable  to  preach,  in  conse- 


REV.  MELVILLE  B.  cox.  ^^0 

quence  of  ill  health,  he  received  a  commission  from  Dr.  Fisk  to 
travel  as  agent  of  the  Wesley  an  University,  for  the  purpose  of 
collecting  funds  in  its  behalf.  He  soon  found,  however,  that 
the  work  was  not  congenial  to  his  spirit,  being  too  secular  in 
its  character  ;  and  though  his  constitution  was  undermined, 
and  his  strength  feeble,  rendering  it  almost  impossible  for  him 
to  preach,  he  nevertheless,  with  a  martyr  spirit,  gave  himself 
up  again  to  the  regular  work,  and  took  his  place  in  the  itiner- 
ant ranks.  To  him  there  was  light  and  comfort  in  but  one 
direction,  and  that  was  in  preaching  Christ  to  his  dying  fellow- 
men.  He  took  a  most  exalted  view  of  the  Christian  ministry, 
and  often  trembled  in  view  of  the  sacredness  of  the  relation, 
and  the  fearfully  solemn  responsibilities  connected  with  the 
vocation.  With  a  firm  belief  that  he  was  called  of  God,  and 
that  a  woe  would  rest  upon  him  if  he  did  not  preach  the  Gos- 
pel, he  resolved  to  live,  and  labor,  and  die  in  the  work,  and  no 
inducement  could  present  itself  which  for  a  moment  affected 
that  decision.     His  language  was  : 

"  Happy  if,  with  my  latest  breath, 
I  may  but  gasp  his  name, 
Preach  Him  to  all,  and  cry  in  death. 
Behold  !  behold  the  Lamb  !" 

In  his  journal  he  says,  "  Life  is  of  no  consequence  ;  nay,  it  is 
worse  than  useless,  unless  it  be  profitable  to  others  and  our- 
selves. I  do  not  say  a  man  may  not  accomplish  even  as  much 
good  by  suffering"  as  by  doing"  the  will  of  God ;  but  my  im- 
pression is,  that  I  was  not  only  called  to  the  ministry,  but  there 
to  spend  my  life — there  to  die ;  and  I  most  devoutly  pray  to 
God,  if  it  be  his  will,  that  there  I  may  fall,  crowned  not  with 


^g  REV.  MELVILLE   B.  COX. 

gold,  nor  with  a  diadem  of  worldly  honor,  but  with  the  honors 
of  the  cross  of  Christ." 

At  the  Virginia  Conference,  which  held  its  session  in  New- 
bern  in  1831,  he  was  stationed  at  Raleigh,  North  Carolina. 
Here  his  zeal  knew  no  bounds,  and  anxious  to  do  his  utmost, 
he  preached  with  unusual  fervor  and  power.  Those  who  heard 
him  on  a  certain  occasion,  as  he  poured  forth  the  treasures  of 
a  full  soul  with  an  earnestness  and  an  eloquence  indicating  the 
possession  of  an  unction  from  above,  were  impressed  with  the 
idea  that  he  was  delivering  his  last  message.  So  great  was 
his  anxiety,  and  so  heavily  did  the  burden  of  souls  press  upon 
his  heart,  that  he  sank  down  in  the  desk  from  sheer  exhaustion 
and  faintness. 

While  manifesting  so  much  zeal  and  solicitude  in  the  behalf 
of  others,  he  was  not  forgetful  of  his  own  spiritual  state.  He 
carried  about  with  him  a  spirit  of  prayer,  and  the  one  great 
and  all-absorbing  desire  of  his  soul  was  "  to  have  a  holy  heart. ^'' 
The  fires  that  burned  in  his  heart,  and  were  evidently  con- 
suming him,  were  not  those  of  an  earthly  ambition  ;  they  were 
fires  from  off  God's  altar,  and  the  flames  were  heavenward  in 
their  tendency.  His  language  was,  "  Iivant  to  know  all  that 
a  man  can  know  of  God  and  live."  Great  as  were  his  aspira- 
tions in  this  respect,  they  were  in  accordance  with  the  Divine 
will.  Though  he  aimed  high,  he  did  not  place  his  mark  higher 
than  it  was  his  privilege.  AVTiile  some  Christians  content  them- 
selves with  calculations  as  to  the  probabilities  of  obtaining 
final  salvation,  and  how  little  religion  it  will  take  to  escape 
perdition  and  gain  eternal  life,  he  sought  to  explore  "the 
lengths  and  depths,  and  breadths  and  heights,  and  to  know 
the  love  of  Christ,  which  passeth  knowledge."     The  exercises 


REV.  MELVILLE  B.  COX.  ^g-Ti 

of  his  mind  at  this  time  were  peculiar.  While  he  was  engaged 
in  the  most  arduous  pulpit  labors,  and  groaning  after  a  holy 
heart,  he  says,  in  writing  to  a  friend,  "  The  tempest  beat  an- 
grily. I  felt  afraid  of  God.  Thought  he  did  not  love  me ; 
though  now  and  anon  I  thought  I  could  hear  the  voice  of 
Christ  echoing  in  the  storm,  '  Be  not  afraid,  it  is  I.'  This 
would  give  momentary  comfort.  But  such  feelings  I  never 
had  ;  such  views  of  myself,  of  the  purity  of  the  Divine  Being, 
and  of  an  unfaithful  ministerial  life,  I  never  learned  before. 
I  felt,  too,  a  sense  of  guilt  that  seemed  insupportable.  I 
groaned,  being  burdened  ;  I  loathed  myself  as  a  person  does 
an  unclean,  fetid  mass  of  corruption,  and  felt  as  if  tied  to  it ; 
nay,  I  knew  not  how  to  escape  it."  Soon  after  this,  however, 
he  experienced  a  great  change  in  his  views  and  feelings.  The 
dark  cloud  passed  away,  and  the  bright  sunlight  of  the  upper 
glory,  serene  and  pure,  beamed  upon  his  happy  and  enfran- 
chised spirit. 

Through  his  ministrations  sinners  were  awakened  and  con- 
verted ;  and  though  he  found  in  this  work  of  saving  souls  the 
sum  of  all  his  desires,  he  says,  "  I  must  quit  or  die."  Yielding 
to  the  advice  of  friends,  he  went  to  the  Sulphur  Springs,  where 
he  met  with  great  attention  from  kind  friends,  who  cheerfully 
ministered  to  his  necessities,  but  returned  without  any  perma- 
nent relief.  He  suffered  for  a  period  of  six  years,  without  one 
well  hour,  and  at  times  his  sufferings  were  intense ;  but  in  all 
he  manifested  great  patience  and  resignation.  During  all  his 
illness,  he  continued  to  preach  when  he  was  able  to  stand ;  and 
so  necessary  was  preaching  to  his  happiness,  that  he  said, 
"  Preach  I  must,  or  suffer  spiritual  loss."  In  all  his  afflictions, 
it  was  evident  that  he  was  passing  through  a  discipline  which, 


^gg  REV.  MELVILLE  B.  cox. 

in  the  providence  of  Grod,  was  designed  to  fit  him  for  an  enter- 
prise requiring  such  training.  It  is  remarkable  that  one  who, 
to  all  human  appearance,  had  finished  his  mission,  should  feel 
his  heart  stirred  with  unwonted  desires  to  enter  upon  a  foreign 
field,  when  he  was  totally  unable  to  do  efficient  service  at 
home.  To  use  his  own  language,  "  I  long  to  preach  the  Gos- 
pel to  those  who  have  never  heard  it.  My  soul  bums  with  im- 
patient desire  to  hold  up  the  cross  of  Christ  on  missionary 
ground."  It  was  a  voice  from  the  grave,  the  last  flashings  of 
a  fire  which  Grod  designed  should  not  go  out  until  it  had  kin- 
dled a  light  in  benighted  Africa. 

An  impression  was  made  upon  his  mind  which  he  believed 
to  be  of  Divine  origin,  urging  him  to  go  to  South  America,  and 
so  wonderful  an  influence  did  it  have  over  him,  that  he  re- 
solved to  go  whether  the  Church  would  send  him  or  not,  with 
or  without  purse  or  scrip.  So  clear  was  his  belief  in  the  Di- 
vine call,  that  all  obstructions  were  removed,  and  all  difficul- 
ties vanished  whenever  he  thought  of  the  mission.  Though  he 
did  not  go  to  South  America,  he  presented  the  subject  to  the 
Missionary  Board,  and,  subsequently,  to  the  General  Confer- 
ence, in  a  memorial,  in  which  he  urged  the  following  reasons 
for  establishing  a  mission  in  that  country :  "  1st.  The  provi- 
dence of  God  in  the  most  marked  manner,  for  the  past  ten  years, 
had  been  preparing  the  way  of  the  Lord  among  that  people. 
2d.  There  is  now  among  the  South  Americans  the  mightiest 
struggle  of  intellectual  and  moral  principle  that  they  have  ever 
experienced.  3d.  The  standing  which  the  Catholic  religion 
now  has  among  them  calls  loudly,  I  think,  for  immediate  ex- 
ertions. 4th.  The  unusually  friendly  relations  which  now  exist 
between  most  of  the  South  Americans  and  the  United  States. 


REV.  MELVILLE   B.  COX.  ^39 

5tli.  There  is  a  responsibility  resting  on  American  Christians, 
to  project  and  sustain  this  mission,  that  rests  on  no  other  Chris- 
tians in  the  world." 

Before  he  closed  his  earthly  labors,  he  was  permitted  to  see 
two  missions  established  by  the  Methodist  Church  in  that  coun- 
try, one  at  Rio  de  Janeiro,  and  the  other  at  Monte  Video. 

Subsequently  to  this,  while  conversing  with  Bishop  Hedding 
in  regard  to  the  South  American  Mission,  the  bishop  proposed 
one  to  Liberia,  in  Western  Africa,  and  the  large  heart  of  Cox 
immediately  responded,  "77/  g'o;"  and  from  this  time  his  mind 
was  engrossed  with  the  subject  of  a  mission  to  Africa.  To 
employ  his  own  words,  "  Liberia  swallows  up  all  my  thoughts. 
I  thirst  for  the  commission  to  go.  The  path  looks  pleasant, 
though  filled  with  dangers.  Death  may  be  there.  Oh  that  I 
may  be  holy  !  Surely  I  need  it  to  dare  the  climate  of  Africa." 
When  he  received  the  appointment,  he  hailed  it  as  the  most 
joyful  tidings  that  ever  came  to  him.  Africa  took  possession 
of  his  mind,  and  her  sunny  shores  were  dearer  to  his  heart 
than  all  the  loved  objects  of  his  native  land.  He  could  see  in 
prospect,  resting  upon  her  mountains,  "  the  dew  of  Zion  and 
the  light  of  God." 

The  heart  of  the  dfevoted  Cox  was  beating  to  be  gone.  As 
the  first  love  and  the  first  sacrifice  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  he  was  ready  to  be  offered.  Before  his  departure,  he 
visited  that  nursery,  if  not  school  of  the  prophets  to  the  Church, 
the  Wesleyan  University.  To  one  of  its  students,  on  leaving, 
he  said,  "  If  I  die  in  Africa,  you  must  come  over  and  write 
my  epitaph."  "I  will,"  replied  the  youth,  whose  heart  glowed 
with  the  fire  of  missions  ;  "  but  what  shall  I  write?"  "  Write," 
said  Cox,  '^  let  a  thousand  fall  before  Africa  be  given  up^ 


440  ^^^-  MELVILLE  B.  COX. 

We  have  already  alluded  to  God's  wonderful  providence  in 
sparing  the  life  of  Cox.  He  was  often  brought  to  the  verge  of 
the  grave,  and  regarded  by  his  physicians  and  friends  as  be- 
yond the  hope  of  recovery  ;  still  he  was  vipheld  by  an  invisible 
hand.  Traveling,  as  he  did,  from  place  to  place  for  months, 
surrounded  by  a  cholera  atmosphere,  and  exposed  to  its  attack, 
while  hundreds  died  daily  all  around  him,  "  the  plague  was 
not  suffered  to  come  nigh  him."  We  also  see  the  providence 
of  God  in  preserving  his  mind  from  discouragement  at  that 
time,  when  many  of  his  ministerial  brethren  had  no  faith 
in  his  mission,  and  consequently  could  not  sympathize  with 
him  in  an  undertaking  which  they  considered  highly  presump- 
tuous, if  not  suicidal ;  some  of  whom  told  him,  "  God  did  not 
require  murder  for  sacrifice,"  and  that  "  if  he  went  to  Africa, 
he  would  be  flying  in  the  face  of  Providence  itself."  In  addi- 
tion to  all  this,  the  enterprise  met  with  but  little  sympathy 
from  the  Church ;  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  Young  Men's 
Missionary  Society  of  New  York  city,  it  would  not  have  been 
undertaken,  at  least  at  that  time.  Notwithstanding  these  dis- 
couragements, there  was  to  be  found  here  and  there  a  kindred 
spirit.  Among  this  number  was  the  gifted  and  accomplished 
Mrs.  L.  H.  Sigourney,  who  addressed  the  following  note  to  the 
missionary,  accompanied  by  some  touching  and  beautiful  verses 
alluding  to  his  farewell  at  the  grave  of  his  wife  :  "I  have  seen 
your  name  announced  in  the  public  prints  as  a  missionary 
elect  to  that  suffering  clime  where  my  heart  has  so  many  years 
lingered  in  painful  pity  and  in  trembling  hope.  God  be  with 
you  while  you  bear  the  message  of  his  mercy  to  mourning  Af- 
rica, bereft  of  her  children,  and  too  long  sorrowing  like  those 
who  have  no  hope.    The  Redeemer  of  souls  grant  you  strength 


REV.  MELVILLE  B.  COX.  ^^J 

to  reap  a  full  harvest  in  Liberia ;  and  from  thence  may  his 
Grospel  go  forth  in  brightness,  until  the  whole  of  Ethiopia  shall 
stretch  forth  her  hands  to  Grod.  That  all  your  adversities  and 
toils  may  be  sanctified  to  your  spiritual  gain  here,  and  made 
to  enhance  your  durable  reward  hereafter,  is  the  prayer  of 
yours,  in  the  faith  and  hope  of  the  Grospel." 

The  time  at  length  arrived  when  he  should  embark  for  his 
destined  field,  and  bidding  all  his  friends  and  acquaintances  a 
final  and  affectionate  farewell,  on  the  6th  of  November,  1832, 
he  took  passage  in  the  Jupiter,bound  for  Africa.  His  journal 
during  the  voyage  contains  an  affecting  record  of  his  aspira- 
tions, hopes,  and  fears.  He  had  conceived  large  plans  for  the 
redemption  of  Africa,  and  his  soul  thirsted  to  carry  them  out. 
After  being  at  sea  nearly  two  months,  the  vessel  entered  the 
River  Gambia,  and  proceeded  up  that  noble  stream  until  it 
reached  the  town  of  Bathurst,  where  it  remained  a  short  time. 
"While  tarrying  here,  the  missionary  made  the  acquaintance  of 
the  governor's  chaplain,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Moister,  Wesleyan 
missionary.  He  preached  to  the  natives  through  an  interpret- 
er, and  thus,  in  part,  had  a  realization  of  his  most  ardent 
wishes.  So  soon  as  the  vessel  set  to  sea  again,  he  commenced 
the  study  of  the  Mandingo  language,  in  the  prosecution  of 
which  he  subsequently  received  valuable  aid  from  Rev.  Mr. 
Raban,  of  Fourah  Bay.  At  length,  on  the  8th  of  March,  1833, 
his  eyes  fell  upon  the  much-loved  and  long-looked  for  Liberia. 
From  the  Rev.  Mr.  Pinney,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Williams,  acting 
governor  of  the  colony,  he  received  every  attention  which  Chris- 
tian kindness  could  prompt.  Knowing  that  he  would  be  at- 
tacked with  the  African  fever  before  he  could  be  acclimated, 
and  that  he  might  fall  a  victim  to  this  dreadful  scourge,  he 


442  ^^^-  MELVILLE  B.  COX. 

lost  no  time  in  the  arrangement  of  his  plans,  but  at  once  di- 
rected all  his  energies  to  the  work  of  laying  a  foundation  broad, 
and  deep,  and  strong  for  the  Church  in  Africa.  The  first  thing 
he  did  was  to  procure  a  mission-house  at  Monrovia.  With 
this  house  was  connected  a  considerable  tract  of  land,  left  by 
the  devoted  Ashmun  for  missionary  purposes.  Missions  had 
been  established  here  long  before,  but  from  time  to  time  were 
abandoned.  The  Moravians,  who  have  yielded  to  no  obsta- 
cles, either  amid  the  snows  of  the  poles  or  the  burning  sands 
of  the  equator,  failed  in  Africa.  With  the  heroism  of  mar- 
tyrs, they  attempted  the  establishment  of  missions  at  sixteen 
points,  but  were  obliged  to  relinquish  them.  Africa,  how- 
ever, was  not  to  be  given  up.  G-od  had  written  her  redemp- 
tion, and  the  youngest  of  all  the  sister  Churches  engaged  in 
that  work  was  destined  to  accomplish  a  most  important  part. 

The  next  work  of  Cox  was  to  collect  together  all  the  emi- 
grants who  had  been  connected  with  the  Methodist  Church, 
and,  in  a  conference  held  by  these  members,  he  was  recognized 
as  superintendent  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Li- 
beria. Soon  after,  the  Church  was  in  a  solemn  and  religious 
manner  organized,  under  the  supervision  and  control  of  the 
Church  in  America.  He  then  proceeded  to  visit  many  parts 
of  the  country,  collecting  information  in  regard  to  its  resources, 
and  the  condition  and  wants  of  the  people,  which  he  trans- 
mitted in  a  series  of  letters  to  the  Board  at  New  York.  He 
attended  special  appointments  for  public  fasting,  thanksgiving, 
and  prayer ;  and  set  in  motion,  at  Caldwell,  the  first  camp- 
meeting,  probably,  that  was  ever  known  on  the  Continent, 
which  commenced  March  2d,  1834,  The  cause  of  Sunday- 
schools  lay  near  his  heart,  and  he  convened  a  meeting  which 


REV.  MELVILLE   B    COX. 


443 


AFRICAN  Camp-meeting. 


gave  a  fresh  and  vigorous  impulse  to  the  enterprise.  He  en- 
gaged personally  in  the  instruction  of  seventy  children  with 
prospects  of  much  success,  but  alas  !  his  work  was  done. 

The  scourge  of  Africa,  so  peculiarly  fatal  to  the  white  man, 
at  length  smote  him,  and  he  fell  a  victim  to  its  power.  During 
his  sickness  he  had  great  peace  and  resignation  to  the  Divine 
will,  being  enabled  submissively  to  say,  "To  G-od  I  commit 
all.  His  I  am,  and  ever  wish  to  be.  Thy  voice  I  hear,  thy 
voice  I  know,  and  thy  voice  I  will  follow.  I  have  followed 
thus  far,  and  it  has  led  me  to  Liberia.  I  pray  that  I  may  fol- 
low it  to  the  end." 


444 


REV.  MELVILLE  B.  COX. 


During  his  last  sickness,  the  power  of  religion  was  seen  won- 
derfully manifesting  itself  when  all  earthly  comforts  were  with- 
drawn. The  periodical  rains  had  commenced,  and  the  mis- 
sion-house where  he  lay  was  exposed,  and  its  interior  drenched 
with  water.  There  being  no  chimney  for  a  fire,  it  was  impossi- 
ble to  keep  it  dry.  There  was  no  one  to  attend  him  but  a  lit- 
tle boy,  and  he  was  four  days  without  seeing  a  physician.  In 
the  midst  of  all  this  deprivation,  alone  in  a  distant  land,  with 
no  kind  friend  to  cheer  his  last  hours,  with  the  exception  of 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Pinney,  who  called  upon  him  before  leaving  for 
America  and  administered  religious  comfort,  his  mind  was  kept 
in  perfect  peace,  and  he  was  enabled  to  sing  the  praises  of 
God.  A  journal  kept  during  this  sickness,  as  long  as  he  could 
hold  a  pen,  in  a  hand  failing  constantly,  until  it  becomes  al- 
most illegible,  contains  passages  of  the  most  thrilling  interest.* 
Though  he  was  frequently  solicited  to  return  home,  he  inva- 
riably responded,  "  I  do  not  see  the  cloud  arise,  and  dare  not 
go.  When  it  does,  I  will  follow  its  leadings."  Grod  had  order- 
ed that  his  dust,  with  that  of  the  sainted  Ashmun  and  others, 
should  consecrate  the  soil  of  Africa,  and  that  his  spirit  might 
linger  around  her  shores,  and  attract  kindred  spirits  from  across 
the  mighty  deep  to  labor  for  the  redemption  of  her  benighted 
sons. 

Perfectly  conscious  that  his  end  was  nigh,  and  that  he  should 
soon  cease  to  work  and  live,  he  commenced  "setting  his  house 
in  order."  His  last  request  was  that  his  successor,  Rev.  R. 
Spaulding,  should  preach  a  funeral  discourse  from  the  passage, 
"  Behold  I  die,  but  God  shall  be  with  youP 

At  last  the  day  of  his  release  came.  He  had  fulfilled  the 
*  See  fac  simile,  p.  431. 


REV.  MELVILLE   B.  COX.  445 

mission  assigned  him  by  his  Master  on  earth,  and  was  patient- 
ly waiting  his  departure.  The  last  Sabbath  dawned  upon  him 
in  time,  and,  ere  three  of  its  hallowed  hours  were  numbered, 
his  spirit,  rapt  in  visions  of  bliss,  passed  away  to  its  G^od. 

Thus  died  Melville  B.  Cox,  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-three 
years.  Since  his  death,  Liberia  has  been  organized  into  an 
annual  conference,  and  there  are  now  embraced,  in  a  line  of 
coast  extending  from  the  Gambia  to  Cape  Palmas,  fourteen 
stations,  supplied  by  seventeen  preachers,  and  a  membership 
of  twelve  hundred.  In  addition  to  this,there  is  also  a  flourish- 
ing Seminary,  and  numerous  mission  and  Sunday  schools. 

The  mission  commenced  by  Cox  has  never  been  abandoned. 
Though  at  times  clouds  and  darkness  have  rested  upon  it,  and 
one  after  another  of  devoted  missionaries  have  fallen  victims 
to  its  fatal  fever,  still  the  voice  of  Cox  comes  up  from  the  grave, 
"  Never  give  up  Africa  /"  and,  God  being  our  helper,  we  never 
will. 


LAUNCELOT  B.  MINOR. 


Fac  Simile  from  Letter  to  Rev.  J.  A.  Vaugha.??,  D.D. 


^    .2-^-t^ 


REV.  LAUNCELOT    B.  MINOR, 

BOARD     OF     MISSIONS     OF     THE     PROTESTANT     EPISCOPAL     CHURCH. 

BY     RE\^    C.    M.    BUTLER,    D.D., 
Washington,  District  of  Columbia. 

All  men  of  equal  holiness  and  zeal  are  not  equally  qualified 
for  the  work  of  missions  in  a  foreign  land.  Peculiar  traits  of 
character,  under  the  guidance  of  the  grace  of  God,  are  needful 
for  steady  and  successful  labors  in  distant  and  heathen  regions. 
A  manly  and  robust  mind,  a  native  energy  of  character,  a  love 
of  enterprise,  an  ability  to  dispense  with  accustomed  comforts 
without  repining,  a  habit  of  absorbed  interest  in  the  selected 
work  of  life,  these  are  qualities  which  best  fit  a  man  for  emi- 
nent usefulness  in  the  work  of  foreign  missions.  It  is  true  that 
the  grace  of  Grod  can  transmute  timidity  into  courage,  and 
shrinking  diffidence  into  aggressive  zeal ;  but  when  grace 
grasps  a  character  to  which  vigor,  and  fire,  and  boldness  natu- 
rally belong,  it  impels  it  forward  with  a  momentum  which 
nothing  can  resist. 

Such  were  the  natural  characteristics,  invigorated,  exalted, 
and  chastened  by  the  spirit  of  God,  which  enabled  the  devoted 

F  F 


450  REV.  LAUNCELOT  B.  MINOR. 

Minor  to  spend  and  be  spent,  not  in  vain,  in  the  cause  of  mis- 
sions in  Africa. 

Launcelot  Byrd  Minor,  the  son  of  General  John  Minor,  of 
Hazle  Hill,  near  Fredericksburgh,  Virginia,  and  Lucy  Landon, 
daughter  of  Landon  Carter,  Esq.,  of  King  Greorge  county,  Vir- 
ginia, was  born  on  the  9th  of  September,  1813,  at  Topping  Cas- 
tle, Caroline  county,  the  country  seat  of  his  parents.  The  pray- 
ers of  a  devoted  mother,  who  made  his  conversion  the  subject 
of  the  most  intense  and  earnest  solicitude,  were  at  length  an- 
swered ;  and  on  a  bed  of  sickness,  near  to  death,  he  found  new 
life,  and  gave  himself,  with  the  characteristic  earnestness  of 
his  nature,  to  the  service  of  his  Redeemer. 

Almost  immediately  after  this  event  he  determined  to  de- 
vote himself  to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  and  entered  the  Theo- 
logical Seminary  of  Virginia  in  the  autumn  of  1833.  At  that 
institution  his  religious  character  began  to  display  that  earnest 
and  aggressive  zeal,  which  was  always  its  most  marked  pe- 
culiarity. He  established  a  Sunday-school  at  a  location  seven 
miles  distant  from  the  Seminary,  walked  to  and  from  it  with 
unfailing  regularity  every  Sunday,  and  became  the  instrument 
of  great  spiritual  blessing  to  many  who  came  under  his  influ- 
ence. Being  dead,  he  yet  speaks,  in  that  humble  sphere,  to 
those  who  enjoyed  his  instructions,  and  to  those  students  of 
the  Seminary  who  are  occupied  in  similar  tasks. 

At  the  call  of  the  Church,  through  the  venerable  Dr.  Milnor, 
for  missionaries  to  "West  Africa,  he  considered  her  claims,  and, 
after  a  period  of  solemn  reflection,  determined  to  give  himself 
to  the  work.  After  his  ordination  in  1836,  he  received  his  ap- 
pointment from  the  Foreign  Committee,  and  from  that  period 
commenced  a  series  of  devoted  labors,  from  which  he  rested 


REV.  LAUNCELOT  B.  MINOR.  ^^ 

not  until  he  reached  the  blessed  rest  that  remaineth  for  the 
people  of  G-od. 

In  connection  with  the  Rev.  John  Payne,  now  missionary 
bishop  in  Africa,  he  employed  some  months  in  traveling  through 
the  country,  and  presenting  the  claims  of  his  mission  to  the 
Churches.  In  the  graphic  pages  of  his  gentle  and  devoted  bi- 
ographer,* we  see  him,  now  in  bitterness  of  spirit  at  the  indif- 
ference manifested  toward  his  cause,  and  now  grateful  for  the 
widow's  mite,  and  strengthened  by  it  in  his  faith  and  hope. 
In  simple,  direct,  and  earnest  terms,  and  with  the  uncompro- 
mising spirit  of  one  whose  own  course  authorized  him  to  speak 
freely  and  fearlessly,  he  presented  the  duty  of  the  Churches  to 
oppressed  and  benighted  Africa. 

On  the  18th  day  of  May,  1837,  Mr.  Minor  sailed  from  Balti- 
more, in  company  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Payne,  for  Cape  Palmas. 
His  first  words  upon  its  shore  were  such  as  to  show  that  his 
mission  had  been  commenced  in  the  right  place — even  in  his 
own  heart.  "  Our  passage  from  the  Cape  de  Verds,"  he  writes, 
"  was  long  and  tedious,  but  I  do  not  regret  it.  It  gave  me  an 
opportunity  of  examining  my  heart,  whether  it  was  prepared 
for  eternity,  should  Grod  see  fit  to  call  me  from  the  world. 
Sometimes  the  thought  would  arise  in  my  mind  that  I  was 
rushing  uncalled  into  the  presence  of  my  Maker  ;  but  generally 
the  grace  of  Grod  was  with  me.  Indeed,  I  enjoyed  religion 
during  the  voyage  as  much  if  not  more  than  at  any  previous 
period." 

The  acclimating  fever  brought  Mr.  Minor  near  the  gi-ave. 
Immediately  after  his  recovery,  he  took  charge  of  the  school  at 
Mount  Vaughan,  Cape  Palmas.  His  letters  at  this  period  ex- 
*  Mrs.  Hening.    History  of  the  West  African  Mission. 


^52  REV.  LAUNCELOT  B.  MINOR. 

hibit  a  vivacious  interest  in  his  work  which  was  productive  of 
the  happiest  results  upon  the  school.  Early  in  April,  1839,  he 
visited  the  Grold  Coast,  and  gave  a  graphic  account  of  its  con- 
dition in  a  letter  to  the  Board  of  Missions.  He  was  surprised 
and  gratified  to  find  that  the  natives  on  this  coast  had  reached 
a  much  higher  position  of  civilization  than  those  with  whom 
he  had  been  hitherto  familiar  in  Africa. 

At  the  close  of  this  year,  Mr.  Minor  visited  the  United  States. 
His  visit  was  stated  to  have  been  "  in  accordance  with  the  ad- 
vice of  his  brethren,  for  the  benefit  of  his  health,  for  obtaining 
priests'  orders,  and  for  other  purposes  connected  with  the  in- 
terests of  his  mission."  During  this  brief  visit,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Mary  Stuart,  of  Baltimore.  His  thorough  conse- 
cration to  his  work  was  evident  from  his  prompt  refusal  to  lin- 
ger longer  than  he  had  intended  in  America.  To  those  who 
entreated  him  to  delay  and  plead  the  cause  of  missions  at 
home,  he  replied,  "  I  can  not  tarry  ;  it  is  the  cause  of  my  soul. 
In  Africa  is  the  portion  of  my  Master's  vineyard  which  he  has 
committed  to  my  care.  How  can  I  be  content  to  tarry,  lest 
God  should  say  to  me  as  he  said  to  his  prophet  of  old,  '  "What 
doest  thou  here,  Elijah  ?'  I  was  called  to  preach  the  G-ospel  in 
Africa,  not  to  act  as  traveling  agent  in  America." 

And  now  again  at  home  in  Africa,  we  find  him  in  charge  of 
a  small  chapel  at  Mount  Vaughan,  erected  chiefly  for  the  ben- 
efit of.the  colonists.  During  the  year  his  letters  exhibit  a  pros- 
perous and  animated  state  of  things  in  the  mission-school.  In 
February,  1841,  we  discover  him,  released  from  the  confine- 
ment of  the  school,  and  bearing  traces  of  the  debilitating  ef- 
fects of  too  much  labor,  gun  in  hand,  and  accompanied  by  a 
single  native  boy,  making  an  excursion  of  exploration  and  of 


tf^tv^i! 


REV.  LAUNCELOT  B.  MINOR.  455 

missionary  service  among  the  Grebo  tribes  of  the  interior.  The 
impression  which  he  made  upon  the  natives — a  mixture  of  rev- 
erence and  admiration — appears  from  the  fact  that  they  sub- 
sequently flocked  to  the  mission-house  at  Mount  Vaughan  to 
inquire  for  Minor,  "  that  white  man  who  came  to  their  coun- 
try to  talk  G-od-palaver  to  them."  He  impressed  them  by  his 
powers  of  endurance,  and  his  ready  adaptation  to  the  customs 
of  the  country,  no  less  than  by  his  religious  enthusiasm  and 
zeal. 

In  1841,  the  missionary  brethren  determined  to  open  a  sta- 
tion without  the  bounds  of  the  Maryland  colony.  This  resolu- 
tion seemed  to  Mr.  Minor  to  open  the  way  for  his  long-cherished 
hope  of  devoting  himself  entirely  to  the  natives.  He  therefore 
offered  his  services  for  an  exploring  expedition  into  the  Taboo 
region.  Here,  under  circumstances  of  great  discouragement, 
he  established  a  mission,  and  lived  in  a  native  hut,  in  native 
style,  separate  from  his  wife  and  friends,  and  engaged,  with 
indomitable  energy  and  faith,  in  his  Master's  work.  It  was  a 
year  of  solitary  toil  and  privation,  relieved  only  by  monthly 
visits  to  his  wife  and  friends  at  the  mission-house.  In  April 
of  1842  he  was  placed  in  imminent  peril,  on  account  of  the 
murder  of  the  captain,  mate,  and  some  seamen  of  the  schooner 
Mary  Carver,  of  Boston,  by  the  natives.  The  circumstances 
of  this  foul  and  unprovoked  massacre  are  narrated  by  Mr.  Minor 
in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Upshur,  Secretary  of  the  Navy.  In  a  letter 
to  the  Missionary  Committee,  under  date  of  July  4th,  he  writes, 
"  We  have  learned  from  more  than  one  source  that  part  of  the 
original  plan  was  to  murder  me;  not  that  they  had  aught 
against  me,  or  would  gain  any  thing  thereby,  but  to  prevent 
the  possibility  of  my  giving  information.     Yet  has  not  our 


456  REV.  LAUNCELOT  B.  MINOR. 

heavenly  Father  suffered  a  hair  of  our  heads  to  be  harmed,  nor 
is  our  peace  in  any  way  marred,  for  we  trust  in  him." 

But  at  length  the  privations,  and  the  long  journeys,  and  the 
lonely  toils  of  Taboo  began  to  make  their  marks  vipon  his  frame. 
In  January,  1843,  he  removed  his  family  to  Taboo.  But  alas ! 
just  as  he  was  indulging  his  hope  of  a  home  on  earth,  Grod  was 
preparing  him  for  his  home  in  heaven.  For  several  months  he 
was  subject  to  repeated  attacks  of  diarrhea,  by  which  he  was 
much  reduced.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Savage  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Smith 
were  with  him  during  the  closing  days  of  his  crowded  and  use- 
ful life.  It  was  a  death  which  became  such  a  life.  He  was 
earnest  to  the  last  in  the  cause  to  which  he  had  devoted  him- 
self He  was  peaceful  in  his  trust,  he  was  happy  in  his  hope. 
"  Let  the  mission  go  forward  more  than  it  has  done,"  was  his 
reply  to  the  question  whether  it  should  be  continued.  "  Jesus, 
my  Master,  is  near — he  is  very  near ;  now  he  is  especially 
gracious,^''  was  his  answer  to  the  inquiry  if  Christ  was  pre- 
cious and  near  to  him.  His  soul  rested  upon  the  promises, 
and  on  them  put  off  cheerfully  into  the  eternal  world.  Among 
his  last  expressions  were  the  touching  words  of  his  Savior, 
when,  like  him,  commending  a  beloved  relative  to  the  care  of 
a  faithful  friend.  Looking  upon  his  wife,  who  stood  near  his 
bed,  he  turned  his  eyes  upon  Mr.  Payne,  and  said,  "  Behold  thy 
sister  I" 

Such  is  a  rapid  sketch  of  the  brief  earthly  career  of  the  la- 
mented Minor.  "What  was  his  inner  life  the  while  ;  what  the 
alternating  struggle  and  peace,  despondency  and  joy,  regret 
and  anticipation ;  how  he  grew  in  grace  and  ripened  for  heaven, 
through  the  peculiar  trials  and  toils  of  his  missionary  ministry, 
we  shall  be  permitted  to  know  from  his  own  lips  when  the 


REV.  LAUNCELOT  B.  MINOR.  4517 

children  of  the  resurrection  shall  together  look  back  upon  their 
past  probation,  and  find  in  its  every  incident  new  cause  for 
wonder,  love,  and  praise. 

We  see  in  the  life  of  Minor  such  an  instance  of  the  constrain- 
ing love  of  Christ,  and  of  the  power  and  sufficiency  of  his  grace, 
as  should  lead  us  to  covet  a  kindred  spirit,  and  to  rely  with 
equal  confidence  on  the  promises  and  aids  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
Oh !  not  alone  to  the  benighted  heathen  does  the  foreign  mis- 
sionary preach.  Often  he  preaches,  with  the  demonstration  of 
the  Spirit  and  with  power,  to  multitudes  in  his  native  land, 
who  know  him  in  person  or  hear  his  history.  His  example 
preaches  not  to  the  ear,  but  to  the  conscience  and  the  heart, 
and  presses  home  rebuking  and  searching  questions  to  all  who 
name  the  name  of  Christ.  It  shames  them  for  their  little  zeal, 
and  love,  and  self-denial.  It  leads  them  to  inquire  whether  they, 
indeed,  are  in  Christ,  and  have  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  and  love  the 
work  of  Christ.  It  asks  the  minister  of  G-od,  with  loving  so- 
lemnity of  appeal,  "My  dear  brother,  have  you  given  up  all 
for  the  Savior  ?  Why,  then,  are  you  indolent  in  the  midst  of 
every  incitement  to  industry,  while  we  are  active  under  the 
pressure  of  manifold  discouragements  ?  Why  are  you  depressed 
in  the  midst  of  clustering,  providential  blessings,  and  sweet 
human  loves,  while  we  are  cheerful  afar  from  our  native  land, 
our  kindred,  and  all  the  sweet  charities  of  Christianized  civil- 
ization, in  the  midst  of  the  ignorant  and  degraded  ?"  It  asks 
all  the  professed  followers  of  the  Savior,  "Are  you  living  above 
the  world  ?  Is  your  citizenship  in  heaven  ?  Is  your  heart  on 
the  heavenly,  and  not  on  the  earthly  treasure  ?  Do  you  give 
your  prayers,  and  personal  energies,  and  your  means,  to  the 
cause  of  the  Redeemer  ?"    Oh  !  not  in  vain,  beloved  laborers  for 


458  REV.  LAUNCELOT  B.  MINOR. 

Jesus  in  foreign  lands — not  in  vain  do  you  labor  for  us,  though 
you  may  not  see  around  you  the  work  of  the  Lord  prospering 
in  your  hand.  You  do  quicken  our  zeal — you  do  shame  our 
indolence  and  apathy — you  do  stir  in  many  hearts,  which  will 
greet  and  bless  you  in  heaven,  aspirations  and  resolutions  for 
a  holier  zeal  and  a  more  thorough  consecration.  You  teach  us 
how  much  higher  attainments  are  possible  in  us,  when  we  see 
what  great  triumphs  of  grace  are  wrought  in  you. 

The  brief  history  of  Minor  also  teaches  us  that  in  the  work 
of  missions  there  is  no  qualification  equal  to  that  of  holy  ear- 
nestness. Mr.  Minor  was  not  distinguished  for  talents  ;  but 
his  thorough  engagedness  in  his  work  gave  a  momentum  to  his 
mind  which  was  real  power.  The  aroused  and  sleepless  ener- 
gy which  arises  from  love  to  God  and  a  vivid  realization  of 
eternal  things,  is  the  most  mighty  agency,  next  to  the  direct 
agency  of  G-od,  ever  wielded  in  the  world.  It  lays  hold  of, 
and  puts  in  motion,  all  the  instrumentalities  of  power.  Going 
forth  in  prayer  and  faith,  it  obtains  help  from  God.  Going 
forth  in  love  to  man,  it  uses  the  gifts  and  graces  obtained  by 
prayer  in  the  service  of  the  perishing  and  condemned.  En- 
gaged for  the  Master's  glory,  it  secures  his  blessing.  It  is  true 
that  this  earnestness  will  not  supply  the  want  of  other  qualifica- 
tions ;  but  all  other  qualifications  will  be  paralyzed  without  it. 

The  example  of  Minor  teaches  us,  also,  how  wide-spread  and 
far-reaching  is  the  influence  of  one  devoted  child  of  God.  In 
the  school  of  the  prophets,  from  which  he  went  out,  his  name 
is  a  cherished  and  an  honored  word.  Not  a  student  passes 
from  the  Theological  Seminary  of  Virginia  without  some  in- 
fluence having  been  exerted  upon  his  character  by  the  exem- 
plary life  of  Minor.     And  this  is  a  proof  that  there  is  no  in- 


REV.  LAUNCELOT  B.  MINOR.  ^^g 

fluence  so  potent  as  that  of  personal  holiness,  even  where  it  is 
dissociated  from  many  other  gifts  and  traits  which  beautifully 
harmonize  with  it,  and  give  it  an  added  charm.  The  con- 
tinued influence  of  Minor  lies  essentially  in  the  consecration 
and  the  holy  energy  of  his  character.  It  did  not  depend  upon 
his  talents  and  attainments,  for  in  that  respect  he  was  excelled 
by  some  who  have  left  no  such  name  of  power  behind  them. 
It  was  not  a  winning  charm  of  manner  which,  as  in  the  case 
of  some  who  have  left  that  institution,  seemed,  in  its  every  tone, 
and  look,  and  little  deed,  to  prove  that  Christ  was  in  them  of  a 
truth — for  he  was  reserved  and  cold  in  his  ordinary  demeanor. 
The  power  that  lies  in  the  name  and  memory  of  Minor  is  the 
undying  power  of  holiness.  It  has  entered  the  closet  of  many 
students,  and  bidden  them  to  be  earnest  in  study,  fervent  in 
prayer,  diligent  and  faithful  in  duty.  At  the  midnight  hour 
of  solemn  meditation,  when  eternity  present  to  the  soul  has 
shown  how  poor  are  the  things  of  time  and  how  glorious  the 
things  of  heaven,  the  shade  of  the  martyred  Minor  has  stood 
before  the  student's  soul,  and  has  pointed  to  wretched  Africa, 
and  made  her  lost  children  pass  in  solemn  procession  through 
a  life  of  wretchedness  to  a  death  of  woe ;  and  as  the  student 
saw  those  miserable  multitudes,  and  heard  their  groans,  he 
has  started  to  his  feet,  and  said,  "Here  am  I,  send  me  I" 

On  the  grave  of  Minor  are  engraved  his  dying  words,  "  Let 
the  mission  go  on."  They  were  uttered  as  a  prayer  and  as  a 
testimony ;  but  they  have  proved  a  prophecy,  and  the  words 
themselves,  being,  as  it  were,  the  embodiment  of  his  feelings 
and  his  life,  have  ministered  to  their  own  fulfillment.  Let 
every  heart  that  dwells  upon  the  memory  of  Minor  echo  his 
dying  prayer,  "  Let  the  work  go  on  V 


WILLIAM  B.  WILLIAMS. 


Fac  Simile  exthact  from  Letter  to  Rev.  David  Terry,  dated  August  21st,  1845. 


REV.  WILLIAM   B.WILLIAMS, 

MISSIONARY     SOCIETY    OF    THE     METHODIST     EPISCOPAL     CHURCH. 

BY     REV.    GEORGE     PECK,    D.D., 

New  York. 

XX  S  the  opening  bud  is  often  nipped  by  the  frost,  or  the  half- 
formed  fruit  is  blasted  by  the  cold  winds,  so  the  fairest  prom- 
ises of  usefulness  are  often  cut  short  by  early  death.  Those 
missionaries  who  have  been  called  to  their  reward  almost  im- 
mediately upon  entering  their  field  of  labor  form  a  class  by  no 
means  small.  The  history  of  their  call  to  the  missionary  work, 
their  course  of  preparation,  and  their  early  death,  constitutes  a 
problem  somewhat  difficult  of  solution.  Why  it  is  that  the 
soul  of  a  young  man  is  stirred  up  to  prepare  himself  for  the 
foreign  field — that  he  should  be  led  on,  by  the  evident  open- 
ings of  Providence,  until  he  reaches  the  scene  of  his  anticipa- 
ted labors — and  that,  ere  he  has  gathered  a  handful  of  the  pre- 
cious fruit,  he  is  called  away — ^human  wisdom  is  too  blind  to 
discover.     The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  one  of  the  class  in 


464  ^^*'    ^V  ILL  I  AM  B.  WILLIAMS. 

whose  history  and  premature  death  there  is  much  to  excite  re- 
flection, and  fill  the  mind  with  wonder. 

In  the  brief  career  of  Mr.  Williams,  as  might  he  expected, 
hut  few  materials  for  a  biography  have  accumulated.  The 
following  brief  account  of  his  early  life  is  furnished  by  his 
brother : 

"  William  B.  Williams  was  born  at  Hancock,  New  York, 
May  12th,  1818.  His  parents,  Nathan  W.  and  Esther  Will- 
iams, like  Zachariah  and  Elizabeth  of  old,  '  were  both  right- 
eous before  Grod,  walking  in  all  the  commandments  and  ordi- 
nances of  the  Lord  blameless.'  They  early  gave  themselves 
to  Clirist,  and  strove  to  exert  a  religious  influence  upon  their 
children.  They  took  them  early  and  constantly  to  church,  and 
were  assiduous  in  teaching  them  the  Word  of  Grod.  Hence 
William  learned  to  respect  religion,  and  was  thoughtful  and 
conscientious.  In  1831,  at  the  early  age  of  thirteen,  he  sought 
and  found  the  Savior,  and  soon  after  was  baptized  and  receiv- 
ed into  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He  early  began  to 
pray  in  public,  and  to  speak  in  class-meetings  and  love-feasts, 
with  a  fluency  and  spirit  that  surprised  the  older  members  of 
the  Church.  His  zeal  for  the  missionary  cause  exhibited  it- 
self very  early,  and  he  often  told  his  mother  he  should  be  a 
missionary.  From  the  time  of  his  conversion,  he  manifested 
great  eagerness  for  knowledge,  and  while  his  playmates  were 
engaged  in  their  sports,  he  would  retire  to  a  grove  and  peruse 
some  favorite  book.  He  early  formed  those  habits  of  industry, 
sobriety,  and  temperance  for  which  he  was  afterward  distin- 
guished. So  decided  were  his  temperance  principles,  that  he 
was  never  known  to  taste  a  drop  of  ardent  spirits  even  when 
prescribed  by  a  physician.    In  order  to  assist  himself,  he  taught 


REV.  WILLIAM  B.  WILLIAMS.  ^QQ 

school  during  the  winter  and  pursued  his  studies  in  the  sum- 
mer. At  the  age  of  twenty-one,  he  entered  the  Amenia  Sem- 
inary, then  under  the  supervision  of  Rev.  D.  W.  Clark,  where 
he  remained  a  year,  gaining,  by  his  diligence  and  amiability, 
the  esteem  of  his  teachers  and  all  who  knew  him.  After  spend- 
ing a  short  vacation  at  home,  he  entered  the  Wesleyan  Uni- 
versity at  Middletown,  Connecticut,  where,  as  in  other  places, 
he  proved  himself  worthy  of  the  esteem  of  all.  Here  he  man- 
ifested that  indomitable  perseverance  that  marked  his  whole 
life,  and  was  twice  brought  to  the  very  gates  of  death  by  over- 
exertion in  his  studies.  After  the  lapse  of  four  years,  he  grad- 
uated with  honor,  and  immediately  entered  upon  the  work  of 
the  ministry.  He  pursued  his  labors  with  the  greatest  vigor 
for  two  years,  when  there  was  an  earnest  call  for  missionaries 
for  Africa.  He  was  among  the  first  to  apply  for  the  appoint- 
ment, and  was  soon  after  appointed  to  Monrovia,  as  preacher 
and  principal  of  the  Academy." 

The  writer  seems  not  to  be  aware,  or  at  the  time  to  have 
forgotten,  that  his  brother,  during  his  preparation  for  college, 
spent  some  time  at  the  Cazenovia  Seminary.  There  it  was 
that  we  first  made  his  acquaintance.  His  deportment,  while 
a  student  in  that  institution,  was  always  perfectly  unexcep- 
tionable, and  his  progress  in  his  studies  rapid.  He  belonged 
to  the  class  of  "  religious  students,"  and  such  were  the  grav- 
ity and  purity  of  his  manners  and  habits,  that  we  never  knew 
the  least  exception  taken  to  his  conduct  either  by  saints  or 
sinners. 

As  a  student,  young  Williams  was  not  remarkable  for  vigor 
or  reach  of  thought.  He,  however,  was  second  to  none  in  ap- 
plication, and  patient,  persevering  industry.     His  desire  for 

G  G 


466  REV.  WILLIAM  B.  WILLIAMS. 

knowledge  was  a  steady  blaze,  and  his  purposes  as  uncon- 
querable as  destiny.  Back  of  his  undying  thirst  for  knowledge 
lay  a  zeal  for  the  glory  of  G-od,  and  a  desire  for  usefulness, 
which  were  the  real  stimulants  under  which  he  acted.  He 
saw  the  world  lying  in  wickedness — the  poor  heathen  perish- 
ing for  lack  of  vision,  and  the  deep  sympathies  of  his  soul  were 
stirred.  It  was  that  he  might  be  an  able  minister  of  Christ — 
a  missionary  to  the  heathen — that  he  gave  himself  to  the  se- 
vere application  to  which  he  well-nigh  fell  a  sacrifice.  He  early 
felt  himself  specially  designated  to  the  missionary  field.  In  a 
letter  to  Rev.  D.  Terry,  dated  Port  Deposit,  August  21st,  1845, 
he  says : 

"My  missionary  feelings  have  grown  up  with  me  from  the 
time  I  embraced  the  love  of  the  Savior,  which  was  when  I  was 
about  twelve  and  a  half  years  old.  I  have  felt  a  steady  in- 
creasing desire  and  willingness  to  spend  and  be  spent  for  my 
dear  Savior — to  labor  in  his  service  to  the  extent  of  my  ability, 
and  in  whatever  part  of  his  vineyard  I  could  most  contribute 
to  his  glory  and  the  salvation  of  the  world — '  not  counting  my 
life  dear  unto  me,  that  I  may  finish  my  course  with  joy,  and 
the  ministry  I  have  received  of  the  Lord  Jesus.'  And  that  I 
may  serve  him,  and  be  found  of  him  at  last,  not  doing  my  own 
will,  but  the  will  of  him  through  whom  I  hope  for  eternal  sal- 
vation. It  is  therefore  the  love  of  Christ,  I  trust,  if  any  thing, 
that  impels  me  to  consent  to  go  to  Africa ;  it  is  this  that 
makes  me  willing  to  suffer  the  loss  of  all  things  dear  to  the 
natural  man  in  his  service." 

In  these  few  precious  lines  we  have  the  key  to  the  moral 
history  of  this  devoted  young  man.  Thus  prepared,  by  a  long 
process  of  prayer  and  anxious  thought,  which  terminated  in  con- 


REV.  WILLIAM  B.  WILLIAMS.  ^go 

victions  and  purposes,  so  far  as  he  was  individually  concerned, 
he  was  ready  to  yield  a  prompt  and  hearty  response  to  the  call, 
and  to  peril  his  life  upon  the  deadly  shores  of  Africa.  But, 
then,  he  was  delicately  related  to  a  young  lady,  upon  whom 
he  had  placed  his  affections.  To  gain  her  consent,  and  espe- 
cially that  of  her  parents  and  friends,  to  share  with  him  the 
perils  of  the  voyage  and  of  an  African  climate,  was  a  difficulty 
not  so  easily  overcome.  It  is  a  trial  which,  we  imagine,  few 
can  properly  appreciate,  to  give  up  a  tender  and  beloved 
daughter  to  such  great  exposures,  and  to  consent  to  yield 
to  a  demand  which  brings  after  it  so  strong  a  doubt  wheth- 
er the  separation  from  the  loved  one  is  not  for  life.  That 
parental  affections  should  recoil  from  such  an  issue  is  not 
strange. 

The  question  was  finally  settled — all  difficulties  were  re- 
moved, and  the  young  couple  took  their  departure  for  their  dis- 
tant field  of  labor,  sacrifice,  and  suffering.  The  last  echo  of 
pious  friendship  coming  from  the  warm  heart  of  the  devoted 
missionary  is  found  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Terry,  dated  Norfolk, 
November  3d.  Here  he  says:  "The  good  Lord  helped  us 
yesterday.  I  spoke  to  the  colored  people  of  Portsmouth  in  the 
morning.  About  fifty  came  forward  for  prayers.  I  spoke  in 
the  Bethel  Church  in  the  afternoon.  I  trust  the  word  was  not 
altogether  in  vain." 

On  reaching  Monrovia,  Mr.  Williams  immediately  entered 
upon  the  charge  of  the  Academy,  and  commenced  his  labors. 
In  the  course  of  a  very  few  days,  he  was  seized  by  the  fatal 
"  fever"  which  terminated  his  earthly  pilgrimage. 

The  following  account  of  his  sickness  and  death  is  taken 
from  a  letter  written  by  Mrs.  Williams  to  Mr.  Terry,  dated 


468  ^^^-  WILLIAM  B.  WILLIAMS. 

Monrovia,  February  12th,  1846  :  "  During  his  sickness  he  was 
praising  the  Lord  continually.  "We  did  not  think  him  danger- 
ous until  the  day  before  his  death,  at  which  time  I  asked  him 
if  he  were  willing  to  die,  if  it  were  the  Lord's  will ;  to  which 
he  replied,  '  Yes,  but  think  I  shall  not  be  called  yet,  as  the 
Lord  has  a  good  work  for  me  to  do  in  Africa.'  During  an 
interval  of  reason,  on  the  day  of  his  death,  I  asked  him  what  I 
should  say  \g  his  friends  for  him.  He  with  some  difficulty 
whispered,  '  Tell  them  to  live  near  their  dear  Savior's  side,  to 
praise  the  Lord  continually,  and  meet  me  in  heaven.'  On  ask- 
ing him  what  he  had  to  say  to  me,  he  said,  '  The  Lord  is  all- 
sufficient  for  you,  he  will  take  care  of  you.'"  His  sickness 
■continued  for  about  two  weeks,  when  he  fell  asleep  in  Jesus, 
as  his  companion  says,  "  without  a  sigh  or  a  groan." 

Thus  terminated  the  earthly  history  of  William  B.  Williams, 
young  in  years  but  mature  in  Christian  experience,  and  ripe 
for  the  heavenly  rest.  The  Master  saw  proper  to  grant  him  an 
early  discharge  from  the  mortal  strife,  that  he  might  the  sooner 
enter  upon  his  eternal  career  of  blissful  adoration  of  his  great 
Redeemer. 

The  following  account  of  the  dying  scene,  with  the  reflec- 
tions which  accompany  it,  copied  from  "  Africa's  Luminary," 
constitute  an  appropriate  conclusion  to  this  brief  sketch : 

"About  the  dying  bed  of  Brother  Williams  there  were  no 
ecstasies ;  but,  during  the  intervals  when  reason  maintained 
her  predominance,  there  was  clearly  the  calm  triumph  of  the 
Christian  faith.  On  being  asked  if  he  regretted  his  coming  to 
Africa,  in  view  of  approaching  death,  he  emphatically  articu- 
lated '  No.''  Did  he  feel  that  Jesus  supported  him  ?  He  re- 
plied,  '  Yes.''     We  might  add  much  more ;   but  it  would  be 


REV.  WILLIAM  B.  WILLIAMS.  439 

taking  a  license  of  which  the  author  of  a  biographical  notice 
we  are  expecting,  at  the  instance  of  the  Liberia  Conference, 
would  have  occasion  for  complaint. 

"  He  had  kept  school  a  part  of  eight  days  successively. 
Though  anxious  to  be  at  his  work,  he  nevertheless  carefully 
avoided  exposure,  and  seemed  desirous,  as  far  as  he  considered 
it  consistent  with  the  interests  he  had  in  charge,  to  observe  a 
prudent  course.  He  was  devoted  to  his  school — its  prosperity 
and  ultimate  success  forming  a  centre  around  which  the  affec- 
tions of  his  heart  gravitated  with  peculiar  pleasure  ;  and  though 
his  residence  among  us  was  one  of  short  duration — though 
withering  under  disease  like  the  flower  cut  down  at  high  noon, 
yet  we  trust  his  coming  to  this  country  has  not  been  without 
its  impression.  But  how  much  or  little  good  may  have  been 
accomplished,  from  first  to  last,  by  his  connection  with  this 
mission,  Eternity  must  tell. 

"  Man  may  reason  and  speculate  on  such  questions  ;  he 
may  exhibit  a  high  degree  of  discriminative  and  submissive 
piety  in  collecting  the  incidents  and  influences  of  individual 
life ;  he  may  determine  with  great  accuracy  the  strength  and 
bearing  of  such  influences,  and  advance  very  plausible  reasons 
for  their  being  out  short  by  our  Sovereign  Creator ;  but  the  day 
when  G-od  shall  call  his  servants  to  '  reckon  with  them'  alone 
will  disclose  all  the  facts  in  the  case.  '  Submissive  awe,'  in- 
creased diligence  and  circumspection  in  the  discharge  of  duty, 
and  a  quickened  attention  to  the  state  of  our  hearts  before 
Grod,  are  exercises  obviously  more  in  keeping  with  the  respons- 
ibilities of  the  Church  than  protracted  reasonings  and  specu- 
lations upon  such  subjects  as  are  obscured  by  the  unfathom- 
able mysteries  involving  them.     ^Clouds  and  darkness'  are 


^1^0  ^^^-  WILLIAM  B.  WILLIAMS. 

round  about  Jehovah's  throne,  forbidding  to  all  creatures,  and 
especially  to  man  encompassed  with  his  infirmities,  too  near  an 
approach.  All  Grod  does  is  right.  This  truth  he  has  thought 
proper  to  reveal.  Upon  it  we  may  recline  our  aching  heads 
and  hearts,  and  to  a  '  throne  of  grace,'  ever  accessible,  we  may 
boldly  '  draw  near,  to  obtain  mercy  and  find  grace  to  help  in 
time  of  need.'" 


ELIZA  P.  SIMPSON. 


REV.  G.  W.  SIMPSON  and  MRS.  ELIZA  P. 
SIMPSON, 

PRESBYTERIAN     BOARD     OF     FOREIGN     MISSIONS. 

BY    REV.   JAMES    M.    MACDONALD, 
New  York. 

X  HAT  discipline  of  Grod's  providence,  which  consists  in  ap- 
parent defeats  and  disappointments,  upon  which  He  entered 
with  His  creatures  six  thousand  years  ago,  that  he  might  train 
them  for  a  better  world  than  this,  and  illustrate  His  own  wis- 
dom and  grace.  He  still  pursues.  Events  are  constantly  tak- 
ing place  which  at  present  are  entirely  incomprehensible,  and 
which  might  furnish  ground  to  question  the  benevolence  and 
justice  of  the  Supreme  Being,  did  we  not  expect  the  mystery 
to  be  solved  in  the  light  of  another  world.  How  often  do  we 
see  the  fondest  hopes  disappointed,  and  the  fairest  plans  cross- 
ed !  Sometimes  the  health,  or  the  reason,  of  a  faithful  servant 
of  Grod,  or  useful  citizen,  in  the  prime  of  life,  fails.  Some- 
times the  man  of  liberal  soul,  whose  deeds  of  charity  have 
made  the  widow's  and  the  orphan's  heart  sing  for  joy,  sees  his 
riches  take  to  themselves  wings  and  fly  away  as  an  eagle  to- 
ward heaven.  Sometimes  we  see  the  parent,  on  whom  a  nu- 
merous family  of  young  children  are  dependent,  or  a  son,  the 
only  remaining  staff"  of  old  age,  carried  suddenly  to  the  grave. 
Sometimes  the  youthful  missionary,  who  has  spent  years  in 
preparation,  and  has  been  given  up  to  his  chosen  work  by  par- 


4.74  ^^^  -^^^^  J\IRS.  SIMPSON. 

ents  and  friends,  only  after  a  prayerful  and  bitter  struggle, 
falls  at  the  very  threshold  of  the  missionary  field.  Where,  I 
ask,  shall  we  look  to  have  the  mystery  of  such  providences 
cleared  up  ?  Blessed  be  Grod  I  we  know  that  death  does  not 
interrupt  the  progress  of  a  soul  which,  through  Divine  grace, 
has  begun  to  glorify  Grod  by  the  proper  use  of  its  powers. 
Touching  and  impressive  are  the  broken  monumental  columns 
we  sometimes  see  in  grave-yards,  and,  in  one  respect,  they  con- 
vey a  true  impression.  The  virtuous  aspirations  and  purposes 
of  those  whom  they  commemorate,  so  far  as  this  life  is  concern- 
ed, are  broken  off.  But,  in  another  respect,  the  impression  is 
untrue  ;  for  there  can  be  no  defeat  or  failure,  no  breaking  off 
in  the  lofty  purposes  of  a  soul  consecrated  to  virtue  and  to  God, 
through  the  blood  of  the  Redeemer.  The  mortal  sinks  out  of 
sight,  but  the  immortal  enters  on  a  scene  more  favorable  to  its 
upward  and  onward  career.  Grod's  hand  is  in  our  very  re- 
verses. If  we  see  not  the  complete  beauty  of  Providence,  by 
reason  of  the  vicissitudes  and  sorrows  to  which  we  are  at  pres- 
ent subject,  it  is  because  "  we  see  but  parts  of  one  extended 
whole."  Events  must  be  contemplated  in  their  relations,  tend- 
encies, and  seasons,  and  by  the  light  of  Divine  revelation,  in 
order  to  understand  how  Grod  "  hath  made  every  thing  beauti- 
ful in  its  time."  "  The  scheme  of  Providence  may  appear  to 
us  a  maze  of  endless  confusion,  and  even,  at  times,  of  jarring 
inconsistency — one  part  frequently  crossing  and  counteracting 
another.  But  the  sole  cause  of  this  is  our  ignorance — the  very 
limited  and  partial  views  which  we  are  able  to  take  of  it.  Had 
we  powers  that  enabled  us  to  take  a  full,  and  comprehensive, 
and  connected  view  of  the  whole,  from  the  originally  proposed 
design,  through  all  the  successive  steps  of  its  progressive  devel- 


MR.  AND  MRS.  SIMPSON.  ^^ijfg 

opment,  to  its  final  and  entire  completion,  we  should  see  a  per- 
fect and  delightful  harmony,  complicated,  indeed,  but,  in  pro- 
portion as  it  is  complicated,  the  more  astonishing,  in  all  the  af- 
fairs of  worlds,  and  kingdoms,  and  families,  and  individuals. 
All  is  beautiful  harmony, 

"  'All  chance  direction  which  we  can  not  see.'  " 

GrEORGE  W.  Simpson  was  born  near  Churchtown,  Lancas- 
ter county,  Pennsylvania,  June  1st,  1821.  His  father,  David 
Simpson,  was  from  the  county  of  Derry,  Ireland ;  his  mother, 
Mary  Anderson,  was  from  the  county  of  Antrim  and  parish 
Bellamony,  Ireland.  An  intimate  acquaintance,  who  knew 
him  in  the  days  of  his  boyhood,  thus  wrote,  soon  after  the  in- 
telligence of  his  death  reached  this  country  : 

"  Mr.  Simpson  was  the  son  of  pious  parents,  who  consecrated 
him  in  his  infancy  to  the  service  of  his  Savior.  His  mother 
was  truly  an  '  Israelite  indeed,'  a  woman  whose  praises  dwelt 
on  the  lips  of  many  of  Grod's  children,  and  who,  though  moving 
in  an  humble  sphere  in  life,  yet  '  did  what  she  could'  for  the 
glory  of  God.  The  mantle  of  the  parents  fell  upon  the  child. 
In  early  life  he  learned  to  cherish  the  deepest  reverence  for  our 
holy  religion,  and,  ere  youth  had  given  place  to  manhood,  he 
was  found  among  the  ranks  of  the  open  and  active  followers 
of  the  Lamb.  It  was  the  highest  ambition  of  his  devoted 
mother  to  have  a  son  who  should  minister  publicly  at  the  altar 
of  his  Savior,  and  the  desire  of  her  heart  was  granted  her  of 
Grod.  The  teachings  of  the  Divine  Spirit  unfolded  to  the  mind 
of  our  sainted  brother  that  he  was  called  to  preach  the  ever- 
lasting Gospel,  and  he  hearkened  and  obeyed.  And  though 
difficulties  lay  in  his  way,  he  grappled  with  them  all,  that  he 


476  ^^-  ^-^^  MRS.  SIMPSON. 

might  be  fully  qualified  for  the  work  that  was  given  him  to  do. 
He  engaged  for  a  season  in  teaching,  that  he  might  thereby 
acquire  the  means  of  prosecuting  his  studies  preparatory  to  en- 
tering on  the  work  of  the  ministry.  He  passed  through  his 
collegiate  course  in  Easton  College,  and  shortly  after  its  com- 
pletion he  entered  the  Seminary  at  Princeton.  There  it  was 
that  his  mind  became  deeply  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  mis- 
sions. It  was  under  the  training  of  those  venerated  men  who 
have  so  long  taught  in  that  school  of  the  prophets,  that  the 
claims  of  the  heathen  came  up  vividly  before  his  mind.  He 
felt,  indeed,  that  '  the  field  was  the  world,'  and  the  question 
pressed  itself  on  his  heart  whether  it  might  not  be  his  duty  to 
labor  in  some  of  its  far  off  moral  wastes.  And  the  more  he 
pondered  on  the  subject,  the  more  fully  did  the  conviction  fas- 
ten itself  upon  him  that  he  was  called  of  God  to  tell  the  un- 
taught heathen  the  way  of  life.  It  is  a  sacrifice  which  none 
can  fully  understand  but  those  who  have  made  it,  to  break 
away  from  kindred,  friends,  and  native  land,  and  live  and  die 
among  a  people  who,  as  a  mass,  are  strangers  to  Grod,  and 
whose  every  taste  and  sympathy  is  foreign  to  your  own.  But 
our  brother  resolved  to  make  it,  for  the  glory  of  (3rod  and  the 
good  of  souls.  He  might  have  labored  in  God's  vineyard  at 
home  with  great  acceptance,  and  have  filled  one  of  our  best 
pulpits,  but  '  he  consulted  not  with  flesh  and  blood.'  He 
sought  not  '  the  praise  of  men,  but  of  God.'  He  wished  to  do 
his  duty,  whatever  of  ease  and  worldly  comfort  the  performance 
might  cost  him.  The  task  which  lay  heaviest  upon  him,  pre- 
paratory to  his  great  undertaking,  was  to  communicate  his 
views  to  his  mother,  and  gain  her  free  consent  to  a  final  sep- 
aration.    He  was  the  Benjamin  of  his  family,  and  his  parents' 


GEOllGE  W.  .SIMPSON. 


MR.  AND  MRS.  SIMPSON. 


479 


idol,  so  far  as  they  had  an  idol  upon  earth.  He  feared,  there- 
fore, to  unfold  to  them  the  workings  of  his  mind.  He  did  it 
first  by  letter,  and  afterward  unbosomed  his  every  thought  and 
feeling  on  the  subject.  With  tears  in  his  eyes,  he  told  his 
mother  that  without  her  consent  he  could  not  enter  on  his 
work.  She  gave  it — gave  it,  though  it  cost  her  sleepless  nights 
and  bitter  tears.  Who  was  she,  she  felt,  that  she  should  lift 
up  her  voice  or  hand  against  the  bidding  of  the  Lord. 

"  When  all  matters  were  arranged  for  his  final  departure,  and 
he  only  awaited  the  sailing  of  the  vessel  to  carry  him  off  to  his 
heathen  home,  Mr.  Simpson  spent  the  season  that  was  left  him 
in  his  native  land  in  visiting  the  churches,  and  kindling  up  in 
the  hearts  of  the  people  a  deeper  interest  in  the  cause  of  mis- 
sions. It  was  surprising  to  all  who  heard  him  to  observe  the 
amount  of  knowledge  he  had  acquired  respecting  the  religion, 
and  customs,  and  pecu^liarities  of  the  African  people,  among 
whom  he  was  destined  to  labor.  He  spake  like  a  missionary 
who  had  been  long  in  the  field,  rather  than  as  one  who  was 
just  entering  on  his  work." 

Mrs.  Simpson,  the  daughter  of  James  and  Martha  Ross,  of 
Fagg's  Manor,  Pennsylvania,  was  born  on  the  12th  of  February, 
1823.  Her  father  was  a  ruling  elder  in  the  church  of  Fagg's 
Manor.  The  pastor  of  her  youth,  the  Rev.  Alfred  Hamilton, 
has  given  this  testimony  respecting  her : 

"  Her  early  training  was  of  a  carefully  religious  character. 
The  Bible  and  the  Catechism  were  her  earliest  books  of  study. 
Thence  she  learned  those  great  principles  which  laid  the  foun- 
dation for  that  maturity  of  Christian  character  to  which  she 
afterward  attained.  Amiable  and  pleasant  in  private  life,  a 
regular  and  interesting  attendant  on  public  worship,  yet  delay- 


480  '^^^-  ^^^  MRS.  SIMPSON. 

Fa.0  Simile  from  Letter  to  Rev.  A.  Hamilton,  dated  Corisco  Island,  September 

24th,  1850. 


ing  to  make  a  profession  of  her  faith  in  Christ,  she  excited 
much  anxiety  for  her  spiritual  welfare.  During  the  fall  and 
winter  of  1843,  she  became  deeply  concerned  on  the  subject  of 
personal  religion,  and,  after  much  correspondence  with  her 
pastor  (she  being  absent  at  school)  as  to  what  was  evidence  of 
Christian  character,  and  the  nature  of  '  a  good  hope  through 
grace,'  she  was  at  last  le.d  to  make  an  entire  surrender  to  the 
Savior,  and  consecrate  herself  wholly  to  his  service.  He  was 
to  her  an  all-sufficient  and  an  all-gracious  Savior. 

"On  the  12th  of  April,  1844,  she  was  admitted  to  the 
Church,  and  felt  it  a  great  privilege  on  the  next  day  to  unite 
with  the  people  of  Grod  in  celebrating  the  dying  love  of  Christ. 
Thenceforward  she  aimed  to  be  wholly  a  Christian.  The  Bible- 
class  and  the  Sabbath-school  were  both  highly  prized  by  her ; 
the  one  affording  herself  instruction,  the  other  a  field  of  useful- 
ness to  others. 


MR.  AND  MRS.  SIMPSON.  AQ-t 

"About  this  time  the  subject  of  missions  engaged  her  atten- 
tion,  and  she  felt  a  desire  to  labor  among  the  heathen,  and 
especially  in  Africa.  She  lost  much  of  her  relish  for  ordinary 
duties  and  labors,  and,  though  always  doing  cheerfully  and  in- 
dustriously what  was  necessary,  often  said  in  playfulness,  '  I 
had  rather  be  teaching  the  negroes  in  Africa.' 

"  Her  thirst  for  knowledge  was  insatiable,  and,  to  meet  its 
demand  as  far  as  possible,  she  labored  for  the  most  enlarged 
education  within  her  reach,  and  sought  such  works  from  her 
pastor's  library,  and  other  sources,  as  would  extend  her  men- 
tal vision,  enrich  her  intellectual  stores,  and  elevate  or  refine 
her  taste.  Teaching  was  with  her  a  favorite  employment. 
Several  of  our  public  schools  enjoyed  her  labors,  and  both  pu- 
pils and  parents  highly  appreciated  her  instructions ;  and  at 
the  time  she  finally  consented  to  become  the  wife  of  Mr.  Simp- 
son, and  share  his  labors  and  trials  as  a  missionary  in  Africa, 
she  was  one  of  the  teachers  in  the  Oakland  Female  Institute 
at  Norristown,  Pennsylvania. 

"When  the  proposal  was  made  to  her  to  go  to  Africa,  she 
felt  it  to  be  an  opening,  in  the  providence  of  God,  to  gratify  a 
long-cherished  desire,  and  took  the  subject  into  very  serious 
and  prayerful  consideration.  She  did  not  arrive  at  a  final  con- 
clusion without  many  anxieties,  misgivings,  and  fears.  Her 
wide  circle  of  friends  were  nearly  all  opposed  to  her  going,  re- 
garding missions  to  Africa  by  white  people  as  a  forlorn  hope. 
Her  parents,  too,  withheld  a  consent,  withovit  which  she  felt 
that  she  could  not  go.  In  her  estimation,  filial  duty  required 
obedience  even  in  this  matter.  When,  however,  she  obtained 
what  she  desired  in  this  respect,  she  cheerfully  consented  to 
go,  and  immediately  began  to  prepare  for  her  departure. 

Hh 


^2  ^^-  ^^^  MRS.  SIMPSON. 

"  She  went  not  rashly.  She  counted  the  cost,  and  felt  that 
if  the  Lord  should  call  for  her  death  in  that  field,  she  was  will- 
ing to  meet  it.  The  struggle  between  duty  and  affection  was 
severe  and  constant ;  and  yet  there  was  no  disposition  to  with- 
draw the  pledge  she  had  given  to  labor  for  the  Savior  in  Africa. 
She  looked  forward  to  the  time  of  their  embarkation  with  a 
calmness  which  astonished  all  who  knew  her." 

Having  been  accepted  as  missionaries  by  the  Board  of 
Foreign  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  they  were  mar- 
ried on  the  12th  of  August,  1849,  and  sailed  in  November  fol- 
lowing for  the  Graboon ;  and,  after  spending  a  few  days  at 
Sierra  Leone  and  Monrovia,  arrived  safely,  and  were  cordially 
received  by  that  excellent  missionary  and  remarkable  man,  the 
Rev.  J.  L.  Wilson,  and  the  other  missionaries  of  the  American 
Board.  The  vessel  arrived  at  the  Graboon  about  the  last  of 
January,  and  in  about  two  weeks  after,  they  were  taken  down 
with  the  African  fever.  The  disease  proved  to  be  mild,  and  in 
a  few  days  the  entire  company  were  relieved.  But  death  was 
hovering  about  that  little  missionary  band.  In  a  short  time, 
Mrs.  Bushnell  fell  a  victim  to  consumption ;  and  soon  after, 
Mrs.  Mackey,  wife  of  the  Rev.  J.  L.  Mackey,  with  whom  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Simpson  had  sailed,  and  were  to  be  associated  in  la- 
bors, was  called  away.  In  communicating  the  intelligence, 
Mrs.  Simpson  wrote  as  follows  :  "  God  has  followed  us  with 
his  goodness  ever  since  we  left  our  homes.  He  is  good  to  us  ; 
we  can  not  doubt ;  although  his  ways  are  sometimes  dark,  still 
we  are  assured  '  he  does  all  things  well.'  He  has  visited  our 
little  band  with  the  deepest  affliction.  Death  has  entered  our 
company,  and  Mrs.  Mackey  is  no  more.  Her  life  in  Africa 
was  a  short  one.     Six  weeks  after  we  anchored  in  Gaboon 


MR.  AND   MRS.  SIMPSON.  4g3 

River  she  lay  in  the  grave-yard  in  Baraka — ^her  fond  husband 
a  lonely  widower.  Her  funeral  was  precisely  eight  months 
after  her  marriage.  She  died  on  the  11th  of  March,  and  was 
buried  on  the  12th.  You  will  doubtless  hear  the  particulars 
from  Mr.  Mackey's  letter  home,  but  I  must  tell  you  she  died 
of  no  African  disease  ;  so  it  is  thought  by  all.  Don't  charge 
her  death  upon  the  climate.     I  feel  just  as  safe  as  if  no  one 

HAD  DIED  WITHIN  A  HUNDRED  MILES  OF  ME  FOR  TEN  YEARS.       Still, 

death  may  come  to  any  of  us,  and  we  should  have  our  lamps 
trimmed  and  burning,  always  ready  for  the  summons."  Un- 
der another  date,  September  25th,  1850,  she  writes  in  reference 
to  the  same  subject:  "  Mr.  Mackey  bears  the  loss  he  has  sus- 
tained in  the  death  of  his  wife  in  a  most  Christian  manner, 
manifesting  a  lovely  and  submissive  spirit.  We  trust  the  loss 
was  gain  to  her,  and  that  her  gentle  spirit  now  rests  in  a 
sweeter  home  than  she  left  for  the  debilitating  climate  on  the 
coast  of  Africa.  But  Mrs.  Mackey  died  of  no  African  disease. 
Apoplexy  would  probably  have  ended  her  days,  had  she  re- 
mained in  the  tJnited  States." 

One  of  the  first  things  that  required  the  attention  of  the  Rev. 
Messrs.  Mackey  and  Simpson,  after  reaching  the  Gaboon,  was 
the  choice  of  a  missionary  station.  They  were  visited,  soon 
after  their  arrival,  by  native  chiefs,  who  lived  both  north  and 
south  of  the  equator,  and  who  requested  them  to  settle  in  their 
respective  districts.     Referring  to  this,  Mr.  Simpson  wrote : 

"  We  early  made  up  our  minds  to  visit  all  the  places  that 
were  thus  presented  to  us  as  open  for  mission  operations,  and 
to  learn  for  ourselves  their  condition.  This  is  the  only  way  of 
procuring  correct  knowledge  in  Africa.  But  a  tour  in  this  part 
of  the  world  is  a  very  different  thing  from  what  it  would  be 


^ 


4g4  MR.  AND  MRS.  SIMPSON. 

in  a  cultivated  and  civilized  land.  We  would  have  our  dear 
friends  at  home,  who  desire  to  have  us  give  them  information 
of  the  interior  parts  of  Africa,  to  remember  this.  We  can  not 
here  take  our  staff  and  knapsack,  and  travel  even  a  few  miles 
into  the  bush.  Africa  is  a  few  years  behind  the  age !  The 
time  for  canals,  and  rail-roads,  and  coaches,  has  not  arrived 
here  yet.  Even  horses  are  useless  in  taking  an  inland  trip, 
from  the  dense  and  impenetrable  jungles  which  meet  the  trav- 
eler in  every  direction.  A  short  distance  along  the  coast  may 
be  accomplished  in  an  open  boat,  with  half  a  dozen  natives  to 
manage  it,  but  for  any  considerable  distance  we  must  wait  the 
opportunity  of  a  trading  or  other  vessel  which  will  touch  at  the 
points  we  wish  to  see," 

In  the  month  of  April,  1850,  they  had  an  opportunity  of 
visiting  several  parts  of  the  coast  south  of  the  Gaboon,  and  saw 
several  places  where  a  missionary  would  be  favorably  received, 
and  where  it  is  desirable  that  a  mission  should  be  located  at  an 
early  period.  [See  Mr.  Mackey's  journal  in  the  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary, October,  1850.]  Returning  from  the  southern  coast, 
they  remained  with  their  friends  at  the  Graboon  until  the  close 
of  the  wet  season. 

On  the  morning  of  the  24th  of  May,  at  the  commencement 
of  the  dry  or  winter  season,  they  set  out  in  an  open  boat,  ac- 
companied by  the  Rev.  J.  L.  Wilson,  on  a  visit  to  the  River  Muni 
^(Mooney).  Reaching  Cape  Clara,  fifteen  miles  below  Baraka, 
they  took  their  course  along  the  coast  to  Cape  Esterias,  which 
is  about  eight  miles  from  Clara.  Mr.  Simpson  thus  beautifully 
describes  the  scenery  and  some  of  the  incidents  of  the  tour : 

"  Between  these  two  capes  the  coast  presents  a  variety  of 
beautiful  scenery,  little  streams  running  down  to  the  sea,  gen- 


MR.  AND  MRS.  SIMPSON.  4g^ 

tie  elevations,  and  lofty  bluffs  resting  upon  large  and  regular 
tiers  of  rock,  and  all  crowned  with  perpetual  vegetation.  Near 
Cape  Clara  we  were  shown  a  small  rook  of  very  curious  form. 
It  is  about  two  feet  in  width,  and  the  same  in  height.  It  rises 
at  the  water's  edge,  and,  winding  its  course  like  a  snake  up  the 
beach,  enters  the  bush,  and,  with  uniform  dimensions,  extends 
for  miles  into  the  interior. 

"  In  the  vicinity  of  Cape  Esterias  is  a  cluster  of  towns,  call- 
ed Little  Corisco.  As  we  passed  we  saw  some  men  on  the 
beach,  by  whom  we  sent  word  to  King  Tambo  that  we  were  on 
our  way  to  Muni,  and  would  call  to  see  him  when  we  should 
return.  Passing  the  Cape,  we  directed  our  course  northwest, 
and  entered  the  large  and  beautiful  bay  of  Corisco.  This  bay 
is  about  forty  miles  across  the  mouth  from  Cape  Esterias  to 
Cape  at.  John  on  the  northwest,  and  from  twenty  to  twenty- 
five  miles  deep.  It  takes  its  name  from  the  Portuguese  word 
for  lightning ;  the  storms  in  this  region,  in  the  wet  season,  be- 
ing accompanied  by  violent  thunder  and  lightning.  It  em- 
braces several  small  islands.  The  largest,  which  is  twelve  or 
fifteen  miles  in  circumference,  and  called  by  the  same  name, 
is  situated  about  twenty  miles  from  the  coast,  and  at  about 
equal  distances  from  Capes  Esterias  and  St.  John.  Two  fine 
rivers  empty  into  this  bay  :  the  Mundah  (Moondah),  about 
twelve  miles  northeast  of  Esterias,  and  the  Muni  (Mooney), 
about  twenty  miles  north  of  Mundah.  In  about  four  hours' 
sailing,  we  came  from  Esterias  to  a  small  island  a  few  miles 
west  of  the  entrance  of  the  Muni,  called  Ilavi  (Elavey).  It  is 
a  beautiful  little  island,  and  contains  two  or  three  hundred  in- 
habitants. It  has  several  fine  little  bays,  in  which  boats  can 
run  up  to  the  beach,  even  when  the  sea  is  rough. 


4g6  MR.  AND  MRS.  SIMPSON. 

"  Sailing  west  and  north  round  Ilavi,  in  an  hour  we  reached 
the  entrance  of  the  Muni,  and  brought  our  boat  to  the  beach 
at  King  Q,uaka's  Town.  There  was  a  small  trading  vessel  ly- 
ing in  the  river,  which,  while  we  were  entering,  appeared  un- 
der American  colors.  We  hailed  the  "  stars  and  stripes"  with 
pleasure,  and  a  thrill  of  premature  delight  pervaded  our  hearts 
as  we  indulged  the  hope  that  we  should  now  hear  from  our 
friends  and  native  land.  After  unloading  our  baggage  at  Q,ua- 
ka's,  we  set  out  for  the  vessel.  The  flag  was  now  lowered, 
and  it  proved  to  be  Portuguese,  and  we  had  some  doubts  wheth- 
er or  not  it  was  engaged  in  lawful  trade.  The  captain  and 
crew  were  evidently  embarrassed  as  we  went  on  board,  hav- 
ing taken  us,  as  they  afterward  said,  for  English  cruisers. 
They  expressed  a  great  deal  of  pleasure  to  find  that  we  were 
missionaries,  and  our  disappointment  was  just  as  great  to  find 
that  they  were  Portuguese. 

"  On  returning  to  our  lodgings,  which  consisted  of  a  native 
house  which  the  occupant  had  vacated  solely  for  our  use,  we 
were  surrounded  by  many  of  the  neighboring  townsmen,  who 
had  come  to  learn  what  was  the  nature  of  our  visit.  King 
Q,uaka,  after  spending  some  time  in  arranging  his  dress,  also 
came  to  see  us.  His  head  was  almost  white  with  age.  His 
appearance  was  rendered  different  from  that  of  the  other  head 
men  who  were  present  only  by  a  roundabout  of  blue  cloth, 
which  he  wore  over  his  other  raiment  wrong  side  up.  He  re- 
ceived us  very  kindly,  and  presented  us,  or,  in  African  phrase- 
ology, dashed  us  with  a  fowl  for  our  supper.  On  being  in- 
formed that  we  were  come  to  see  his  town  and  country,  and 
that  our  object  was  to  find  a  place  where  to  establish  a  mis- 
sion, such  as  that  at  Graboon,  he  showed  much  pleasure,  and 


MR.  AND  MRS.  SIMPSON.  ^Q'j 

said  he  was  glad  we  were  not  French.  The  French  had  treat- 
ed the  Africans  badly,  but  the  people  from  big  America  had 
ever  been  friends  to  them.  '  But,'  continued  he,  '  which  way 
you  no  got  rum  for  dash  me  ?'  We  told  him  that  we  were  not 
come  to  trade ;  we  were  ministers,  and  had  come  only  to  do 
the  people  of  Africa  good.  Rum  was  bad,  and  therefore  we 
did  not  bring  any.  With  this  he  appeared  satisfied,  and,  at 
our  request,  promised  to  call  all  the  people  together  early  in 
the  morning  to  hear  us  preach.  It  was  now  night,  and,  as  we 
were  fatigued,  we  expressed  a  desire  that  the  natives,  who  had 
gathered  around  us,  should  withdraw.  This  they  at  once  did, 
leaving  the  house  entirely  to  ourselves.  Our  beds  were  imme- 
diately arranged  upon  the  bamboo  frames  on  which  the  natives 
sleep,  and,  after  some  refreshment,  we  enjoyed  a  night  of  quiet 
rest.      During  the  night  there  was  a  heavy  rain. 

"At  an  early  hour  in  the  morning  the  people  came  together 
into  the  king's  house  to  hear  us.  The  assemblage  was  small, 
as  many  were  absent  engaged  upon  their  farms  or  in  cutting 
red-w^ood.  There  were  about  forty  or  fifty  men  present,  all  of 
considerable  age,  some  very  old  men.  Many  of  them  were 
chiefs  of  neighboring  towns.  Brother  Mackey  explained  to 
them  a  second  time  the  object  of  our  visit  and  the  nature  of 
our  work.  As  it  is  a  matter  they  are  slow  to  comprehend, 
some  care  was  taken  to  show  them  the  difference  between  a 
trader  and  a  missionary.  They  were  shown  the  Bible,  and 
told  some  of  the  great  things  which  it  taught  about  Grod,  about 
death,  and  eternity.  They  listened  with  great  attention  and 
profound  respect,  and  were  asked  what  they  thought  of  these 
things,  and  whether  they  would  like  to  have  a  missionary  to 
live   in  their  country  who  would  teach  them  these   things  ? 


4g8  MR.  AND  MRS.  SIMPSON. 

They  answered,  in  language  which  struck  us  with  no  little 
surprise,  '  We  no  sably  (understand)  these  things.  If  mis- 
sionary lived  here  we  would  know  better.  How  can  we  say 
we  no  want  missionary  to  live  here  ?  Suppose  one  man  be  far 
away  for  bush.  Well,  be  dark  night.  Him  be  hungry  and 
wet,  and  him  no  sably  w^hich  way  for  go.  Him  heart  burn 
him  plenty,  because  he  be  alone,  and  plenty  bad  thing  live  for 
bush.  But  after  a  while  one  man  look  him  with  light,  take 
him  for  him  house,  give  him  eat,  give  him  drink,  give  him  fire, 
then  him  heart  be  plenty  glad.  That  be  all  the  same  as  we. 
We  live  in  the  bush,  in  the  dark.  We  no  sably  Grod's  book. 
Missionary  come  for  do  we  good.  We  be  glad  very  much. 
That  be  the  good,  for  we  be  no  fit  for  believe  them  thing. 
Suppose  them  time  we  look  you  come,  then  we  believe  ;'  al- 
luding to  our  coming  to  live  among  them. 

"  After  visiting  some  of  the  neighboring  towns,  we  entered 
our  boat  and  commenced  ascending  the  river.  The  course  of 
the  river  for  ten  or  fifteen  miles  is  nearly  northeast.  It  is  from 
tw'o  to  three  miles  in  width,  has  a  deep  channel,  and  is  navi- 
gable fdl"  vessels  of  common  size  for  perhaps  thirty  miles.  The 
borders  are  clothed  with  mangrove,  though  in  many  places  on 
both  sides  there  are  high  banks,  covered  with  tall  trees.  On 
these  spots  the  natives  have  placed  their  towns,  of  which,  in 
the  space  of  fifteen  miles,  we  counted  about  twenty  on  each 
side.  We  ascended  about  thirty  miles.  On  an  island  in  the 
middle  of  the  river  we  found  a  town  containing  perhaps  one 
hundred  inhabitants,  where  we  stopped  and  preached.  An  Al- 
bino was  our  interpreter  here.  We  then  returned  a  few  miles 
to  a  cluster  of  towns,  where  we  remained  during  the  following 
day,  which  was  the  Sabbath. 


MR.  AND  MRS    SIMPSO^ST.  ^gg 

"  As  we  ascended  the  bank  on  which  these  towns  were  situ- 
ated, the  sun  was  just  sinking  in  the  western  wave.  The  sky, 
which  during  the  day  had  been  covered  with  clouds,  was  now 
perfectly  clear,  and  at  once  a  prospect  burst  upon  our  view 
which  gave  us  entirely  new  ideas  of  the  country  in  which  we 
stood.  To  the  east  and  north,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach, 
rose  a  lofty  and  unbroken  chain  of  mountains,  in  some  places 
forming  a  regular  line  upon  the  horizon,  in  others  shooting  to 
the  clouds  in  broken  and  abrupt  peaks. 

"  The  river  at  our  feet  was  really  grand.  Bordered  with  the 
luxuriant  mangrove,  in  the  rear  of  which  arose  a  larger  and 
nobler  vegetation,  it  seemed  to  be  imbedded  in  a  valley  of  per- 
petual verdure. 

"  A  desire  to  visit  the  head- waters  of  the  river,  and  to  pene- 
trate further  toward  the  mountains  than  we  had  done,  filled 
our  minds.  Every  inquiry  answered  by  the  natives  where  we 
were  increased  this  desire.  The  region  toward  the  mountain 
was  said  to  be  very  populous  and  productive.  The  trees,  and 
animals,  and  birds,  &c.,  were  very  different  from  those  found 
on  the  coast.  There  were  to  be  seen  droves  of  elephants,  vari- 
ous tribes  of  monkeys,  huge  pelicans,  and  bush  cats.  We  were 
told,  also,  that  we  could  approach  in  our  boat  to  the  very  base 
of  the  mountain,  and  row  along  it  for  a  great  distance.  A 
growing  belief  that  the  interior  regions  of  this  country  are  not 
so  unhealthy  as  the  parts  adjacent  to  the  coast,  caused  us  to 
wish  still  more  to  extend  our  journey  to  the  mountains,  but 
circumstances  would  not  allow  us  to  do  so  then.  It  was  neces 
sary  for  us  to  return  to  the  Gaboon  after  Sabbath." 

On  their  return  they  stopped  at  Little  Corisco,  where  there 
is  a  Roman  Catholic  mission.     It  is  not  flourishing.     "  Every 


49Q  MR.  AND  MRS.  SIMPSON. 

thing  around  wears  a  dreary  and  ascetic  look.  The  chapel,  a 
huge  bamboo  building,  is  leaning  almost  to  the  ground.  It  is 
frequented,  during  service,  by  a  few  boys,  who  have  learned 
to  repeat  Latin  prayers  and  chants." 

Anxious  to  penetrate  further  into  the  interior,  Messrs.  Simp- 
son and  Mackey  left  the  Gaboon  on  a  second  journey  to  Coris- 
co  and  the  Muni.  After  making  a  thorough  exploration  of 
Corisco,  they  entered  the  Muni,  and  passed  up  about  fifteen 
miles,  to  a  point  where  a  large  branch  (the  Congo)  empties  in 
from  the  north ;  and  by  this  branch  they  attempted  to  reach  a 
lofty  peak  of  the  chain  of  mountains,  which  was  already  in 
sight,  but  the  stream  terminated  in  mangrove  and  swamp 
palm.  Being  unable  to  reach  the  mountains  in  this  direction, 
they  resolved  upon  trying  the  Muni.  This  was  the  course  they 
had  marked  out  for  themselves  at  first ;  and,  persevering  through 
many  difficulties,  they  were  successful.  Mr.  Simpson's  narra- 
tive continues : 

"  Monday,  IWi  June.  The  further  we  ascended  the  more 
wonder  we  excited  among  the  natives.  Passing  a  town  at  one 
place,  the  natives  wished  us  very  much  to  stop,  but,  on  our  re- 
fusing, they  launched  a  couple  of  canoes  and  came  after  us, 
both  men  and  women,  hallooing  and  rowing  as  if  for  their  lives 

"After  running  up  about  seven  hours,  we  found  ourselves  in 
fresh  water.  The  mangrove  had  disappeared,  and  the  change, 
in  many  respects,  was  so  great,  that  we  felt  ourselves  to  be  in 
a  new  country.  The  water  was  sweet  and  clear,  the  best  we 
had  drunk  since  we  left  our  native  land.  Instead  of  low  marsh 
and  mangrove,  the  banks  were  now  high,  and  rocks  appeared 
along  the  sides  of  the  stream,  from  which  little  streamlets  of 
fresh  water  trickled  down.     The  banks,  too,  were   crowned 


MR.  AND  MRS.  SIMPSON.  ^gj 

with  large,  tall  trees.  As  we  advanced,  and  the  stream  nar- 
rowed, and  approached  nearer  to  the  mountain,  which  was  now 
but  a  few  miles  before  us,  it  grew  more  and  more  beautiful. 
The  cool  and  refreshing  breeze  which  blew  upon  us  from  the 
mountain  was  delightful ;  not  less  so  the  cool  water,  which  we 
could  now  drink  from  the  stream.  The  tall  trees  of  a  century 
which  bordered  the  water  were  in  some  places  hung  with  a 
drapery  of  vines,  and  dotted  with  beautiful  flowers,  presenting 
to  the  eye  a  profusion  of  beauty  which  baffles  all  description. 
No  marks  of  the  hand  of  man  were  to  be  seen  in  these  beauti- 
ful solitudes,  except  that  here  and  there  some  trees  had  been 
felled  to  procure  a  monkey.  At  length  the  sound  of  water- 
falls was  heard,  and  little  brooks  were  seen  pouring  over  the 
rocks  along  the  hillside  which  extended  up  to  the  right.  A 
few  minutes  further,  and  the  white  foam  of  the  mountain 
stream,  as  it  broke  over  a  bed  of  rock  some  fifteen  or  twenty 
feet  in  height,  burst  upon  our  eyes.  The  main  fall  was  about 
ten  feet,  but  the  whole  stream  bounded  over  a  bed  of  rock  for 
two  or  three  hundred  yards. 

""We  were  now  at  the  very  base  of  the  mountain,  which  rose 
upon  our  right  quite  abruptly,  and  to  a  considerable  height. 
We  possessed  no  means  of  measuring  it,  but  we  would  suppose 
its  height  about  sixteen  hundred  feet.  Leaving  our  boat,  we 
walked  along  the  rocks  and  the  mountain  side  about  half  a 
mile  up  the  stream.  It  was  bordered  here  and  there  with  nat- 
ural grass,  like  the  mountain  streams  of  Pennsylvania,  and  in 
every  respect  the  scenery  wore  a  more  natural  and  healthful 
appearance  than  what  we  were  accustomed  to  see  on  the  coast. 
We  had  not  the  means  of  ascending  further,  and,  at  any  rate, 
exploration  any  further  was  not  necessary  to  our  object.     We 


492  ^^^-  ^^^  MRS.  SIMPSON. 

satisfied  ourselves  of  two  or  three  very  important  facts :  That 
the  mountains  are  accessible,  by  means  of  a  boat,  in  about  ten 
hours  from  the  mouth  of  the  river  ;  that  the  mangrove  and 
sw^amp  cease  at  about  fifty  miles  from  the  coast  on  this  river ; 
and  that  the  water  is  good  and  the  air  pure.  From  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  land  and  the  vegetation,  one  could  not  help 
supposing  it  as  healthy  a  country  as  any  in  the  world.  With 
a  canoe  or  on  foot  we  might  have  ascended  further.  In  about 
two  hours'  walk,  our  men  thought  we  might  'be  fit  to  catch 
[come  to]  half  a  dozen  towns.'  A  great  deal  of  trade,  they 
say,  is  brought  down  here  from  the  country  beyond  the  towns. 

"In  returning,  we  again  took  the  advantage  of  a  tide.  The 
canoes  which  had  followed  us  from  the  towns  below  had  con- 
tinued with  us  all  the  way.  The  men  were  told  that  we  were 
missionaries,  but  our  object  in  coming  to  look  at  the  mountain 
and  the  fall  was  to  them  perfectly  incomprehensible.  As  they 
seemed  to  paddle  their  light  canoes  pretty  rapidly  over  the  wa- 
ter, our  men  proposed  to  them  a  race.  A  scene  the  most  live- 
ly and  exciting  ensued.  Every  one  exerted  his  strength  to  the 
utmost.  The  canoes,  though  they  had  quite  the  largest  num- 
ber of  men,  yet  could  not  keep  pace  with  the  boat.  The  forest 
around  rang  again  with  their  shouts.  At  last  a  very  old  wom- 
an, who  had  followed  to  see  the  white  men,  and  could  not  with 
pleasure  see  her  sons  beaten,  seated  herself  flat  in  the  bottom 
of  the  canoe,  and  dashed  her  paddle  into  the  water  with  might 
and  main.  Soon  we  passed  the  stream  on  which  their  town 
was  situated,  and  thither  they  turned,  shouting,  as  they  left 
us,  '  Emen  tangoui !' — wonderful  white  man  !" 

Continuing  their  journey,  they  reached  Gandi  about  mid- 
night.    Preaching  at  Mbini  to  a  large  audience,  they  proceeded 


MR.  AXD  MRS    SI  MP  soy 


493 


on  their  voyage,  spent  the  night  at  Ilavi,  and  arrived  again  at 
their  temporary  home  on  the  G-aboon. 

From  these  surveys  the  brethren  were  led  to  select  Corisco, 
in  preference  to  any  place  on  the  w^estern  coast,  for  their  sta- 
tion. "  This  island  lies  in  the  mouth  of  Corisco  Bay.  It  is 
fifty-five  miles  north  of  the  equator,  and  from  fifteen  to  twenty 
from  the  main  land  of  the  west  coast  of  Africa.  The  popula- 
tion of  the  island  is  about  fifteen  hundred.  Some  of  the  rea- 
sons for  selecting  Corisco  for  their  station  were  the  following : 
The  slave-trade  had  been  discontinued,  and  the  inhabitants,  at 


494  '^^-  ^^'^  MRS.  siMPsoy. 

least  of  the  islands,  were  in  a  higher  state  of  preparation  for 
missionary  operations  ;  it  was  at  a  sufficient  distance  from  the 
station  of  the  American  Board  at  the  Graboon ;  the  fine  sea- 
breezes,  it  was  judged,  would  be  favorable  to  health  ;  in  addi- 
tion to  its  own  population,  it  was  in  the  vicinity  of  a  populous 
coast,  and  the  two  rivers,  the  Muni  and  the  Moondah,  would 
afford  them  facilities  for  extending  their  labors  into  the  interior. 
On  the  3d  of  July,  1850,  they  took  up  their  residence  as  mis- 
sionaries on  the  island.  Under  date  of  September  16th,  Mr. 
Simpson  wrote : 

"  The  Corisco  people  have  been  advancing  toward  civiliza- 
tion, perhaps,  for  a  long  time.  In  some  respects  they  are  be- 
hind, and  in  many  respects  they  are  in  advance  of  the  Mpongwe 
neighbors.  Formerly,  the  slave-trade  was  carried  on  here  ex- 
tensively by  the  Portuguese.  The  islanders  were  employed  as 
factors  in  the  trade.  Not  long  ago,  the  establishment  of  the 
Portuguese  was  burned  by  an  English  cruiser,  and  a  treaty 
was  then  made  with  England  by  which  the  trade  was  abolish- 
ed forever.  Since  then  the  natives  have  been  brought  in  con- 
tact more  with  English  and  American  traders,  and  about  three 
fourths  of  them  have  learned  to  speak  the  English  language 
intelligibly. 

"  By  means  of  an  interpreter,  taken  from  the  most  experi- 
enced of  them,  we  can  preach  the  Grospel  to  them  ;  but  as  their 
ideas,  and  their  knowledge  of  our  language,  are  confined  to 
trade,  our  work  in  preaching  is  very  restricted.  Yet  we  are 
rejoiced  to  say  that  it  is  not  without  interest ;  they  already  be- 
gin to  receive  the  G^ospel  of  Life.  In  understanding,  they  are 
children,  and  it  is  but  the  first  and  simplest  truths  that  they 
are  able  to  receive.     The  substance  of  our  discourses  is,  that 


MR.  AND  MRS.  SIMPSON.  AQK 

there  is  a  God,  and  that  he  is  good,  holy,  and  just.  He  is  the 
Maker  of  all  things,  and  the  Father  of  men.  He  loves  men. 
Men  have  bad  hearts.  Grod  wishes  men  to  become  good ;  and 
promises  to  give  them  a  new  heart,  if  they  ask  him.  Christ, 
the  .Son  of  Grod,  has  become  our  Savior ;  and  every  man  that 
believes  his  word,  and  follows  him,  will  become  good  in  this 
world,  and  will  be  saved,  &;c.  These  are  great  truths ;  truths 
without  which  no  man  can  be  saved,  and  with  which  we  be- 
lieve the  Holy  Grhost  may  raise  dead  souls  to  life  ;  and  we  feel 
that  it  is  no  mean  privilege  to  preach  these  sublime  truths  to 
those  whose  souls  are  in  darkness. 

"  The  king  and  the  chiefs  are  very  favorable  to  the  Gos- 
pel, and  frequently  tell  us  that  they  want  to  hear  about  God. 
'  Them  thing  what  live  for  God  book  be  very  good.  Which 
way  man  no  come  for  tell  me  them  thing  long  ago.'  Talongo, 
a  chief,  said  last  Sabbath  evening  after  preachings,  '  Me  want 
for  hear  them  thing  every  Sabbath  day.  Me  want  to  sabby  all 
about  God.  Me  think  when  me  die,  me  go  for  God,'  &c.  The 
people,  for  the  most  part,  live  in  great  dread  of  death  and  of  the 
devil.  Their  natural  or  acquired  knowledge  of  God  does  not 
lead  them  to  trust  in  him,  because  they  have  no  idea  of  salva- 
tion by  the  blood  of  Christ.  They  suppose  that  Ekuki,  the 
devil,  has  great  power  over  their  houses  and  their  persons. 
Hence  the  truths,  that  the  devil  is  a  creature  of  God,  and  com- 
pletely under  his  control ;  that,  though  stronger  than  man,  yet 
he  has  no  power  to  injure  them,  unless  God  permits  it  on  ac- 
count of  a  man's  sins,  are  received  with  delight. 

"  In  every  place  we  have  preached  we  have  been  struck  with 
the  seriousness  the  people  manifest  during  prayer.  We  tell 
them  first  that  God  is  great,  and  is  in  every  place,  and  knows 


49g  MR.  AND  MRS.  SIMPSON. 

all  things.  That  he  is  pleased  to  have  us  ask  him  for  good 
things,  especially  for  his  Holy  Spirit,  and  that  now  we  will  ask 
him  to  do  them  good,  &c.  They  are  at  once  serious,  bow  their 
heads  in  silence  and  reverence,  as  if  they  felt  the  presence  of 
God. 

"  In  every  place  the  desire  for  the  missionary  is  the  same. 
'  When  more  missionary  come  from  big  America  ?  Grive  me 
one  book  for  let  me  know  when  him  come.'  These  books  are 
kept  with  great  care,  and  regarded  as  almost  sacred.  Many, 
I  believe,  suppose  that  they  will  actually  bring  them  a  mis- 
sionary after  a  time.  You  will  not  be  deceived  by  supposing 
that  their  desire  for  a  missionary  arises  from  any  proper  notion 
of  what  a  missionary  is,  or  what  is  the  exalted  nature  of  his 
work.  They  conceive  of  a  missionary  as  a  very  good  man. 
They  repose  great  confidence  in  him,  and  can  trust  him  when 
they  can  not  trust  one  another.  They  regard  him  as  a  far  su- 
perior being,  one  that  has  the  true  religion,  and  loves  them. 
He  does  not  come  to  buy  ivory  and  ebony,  but  he  comes  to  do 
them  good.  He  will  preach  every  Sunday  about  G-od.  They 
expect,  too,  that  he  will  be  of  no  small  temporal  advantage  to 
them.  Ships  will  come  and  anchor  where  he  lives,  and  thus 
they  will  get  trade.  He  will  also  have  houses  to  build,  and 
will  have  plenty  of  cloth  to  buy  bamboo,  and  mpabo,  and  poles ; 
he  will  have  some  tobacco  to  buy  fowls  and  eggs  with ;  and  he 
will  also  have  plenty  of  plates,  and  cups,  and  wash-bowls  to 
give  them  for  plantains  and  fish.  And  more  than  all,  a  mis- 
sionary living  among  them  will  give  them  a  name  in  their  own 
country  ;  for  all  esteem  it  a  great  honor  to  have  a  missionary 
residing  in  their  town  or  vicinity.  Hence  the  strong  desire 
which  they  often  manifest  on  this  subject.     The  greatest  at- 


MR.  AND  MRS.  SIMPSON.  /^Qn 

tention,  kindness,  and  ingenious  flatteries  will  be  resorted  to 
to  induce  newly-arrived  missionaries  to  settle  in  a  particular 
place. 

"  Thus  has  Grod  opened  a  wide  door  for  the  Church  to  do 
good  to  the  sons  of  Africa.  The  African's  regard  for  the  white 
man — his  great  desire  to  obtain  his  knowledge  and  his  religion, 
his  kind  and  friendly  disposition  toward  the  missionary,  his 
growing  disregard  for  his  own  worthless  Fetishism — all  unite 
in  urging  us  speedily  to  give  him  the  light  of  the  G-ospel.  And 
who  can  tell  how  rapidly  this  Grospel  may  spread  ?  At  present 
it  is  but  the  handful  of  corn  upon  the  tops  of  the  mountains ; 
but  the  time  is  approaching  when  the  fruit  of  it  shall  shake 
like  Lebanon,  and  the  numbers  of  the  city  of  G-od  in  Africa 
shall  be  as  the  grass  of  the  field. 

"  Brethren  in  Christ,  the  work  is  too  great  for  us.  Ours  is 
but  a  drop  to  the  vast  ocean  of  influence  which  ought  to  be 
exerted  in  giving  the  Grospel  to  Africa." 

Under  date  of  September  25th,  1850,  Mrs.  Simpson  wrote 
as  follows:  "Our  health  has  been,  we  think,  better  since  our 
removal  to  this  island,  which  is  now  our  home.  The  attacks 
of  fever  have  been  lighter,  and  recovery  of  former  strength  from 
these  attacks  more  rapid.  For  my  part,  I  have  had  no  fever 
since  the  middle  of  July,  more  than  two  months  ago.  Now 
we  feel  as  vigorous  as  when  at  home,  yet,  I  suppose,  we  could 
not  endure  fatigue  or  exertion  here  as  at  home."  To  another 
friend  she  writes,  "  If  any  of  my  friends  find  it  necessary  to 
make  a  voyage  for  health,  we  can  recommend  our  station  to 
the  invalid  ;  here  we  have  constant  sea-breezes,  and  all  the 
advantages  of  ocean  air." 

On  one  of  her  visits  to  Baraka,  she  had  a  severe  attack  of 

It 


^gg  MR.  AND  MRS.  SIMPSON. 

sickness,  and  was  thought  to  be  dying.  She  had  constant  hem- 
orrhage from  the  lungs  for  eighteen  hours.  The  physician,  a 
skillful  French  surgeon,  said,  "If  this  remedy  does  not  relieve 
her,  she  can  not  last  many  hours."  She  heard  him,  and,  though 
too  weak  to  speak,  yet  calmly,  and  without  the  least  agitation, 
resigned  herself  into  the  hands  of  her  Savior.  She  felt  no  alarm 
at  the  prospect  of  death.  As  she  recovered,  the  doctor  told  her 
she  could  not  live  in  that  climate — she  must  return  home  or 
die.  This  was  sad  news  to  her,  but,  after  consultation  with 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilson,  she  determined  that  she  would  not  leave. 
She  would  extend  the  experiment,  and  see  what  the  sea-bathing 
and  ocean  air  of  Corisco  would  do  for  her.  She  was  not  will- 
ing so  soon  to  abandon  her  chosen  field  of  labor.  Her  health 
did  improve,  and  she  flattered  herself  with  the  hope  of  many 
days  for  Africa. 

The  following  extract  of  one  of  her  letters  shows  the  great 
satisfaction  and  comfort  which  missionaries  derive  from  the 
prayers  of  Christian  friends  at  home:  "Mr.  H.  says,  'If  the 
assurance  that  many  prayers  are  offered  for  us  will  be  any  en- 
couragement to  us,  we  can  have  such.'  Oh !  this  is  indeed  an 
encouragement.  We  have  had  our  tenderest  feelings  stirred 
by  the  mention  of  so  many  praying  friends.  One  of  Mr.  Simp- 
son's correspondents  mentions  some  remarks  on  the  subject  of 
missions  made  in  La  Fayette  College  by  Dr.  Junkin.  He  spoke 
of  some  relation  he  sustained  to  the  first  missionary  who  had 
gone  to  a  certain  place,  and  then  of  that  he  had  also  sustain- 
ed to  one  of  the  last  bound  to  Western  Africa.  Then  this 
friend,  says  the  doctor,  raised  his  hands,  and,  with  tears  stream- 
ing from  his  eyes,  said,  'Let  us  pray  for  Greorge  W.  Simpson 
and  his  company.'     Such  friends  we  prize  highly  ;  and  Mr. 


MR.  AND  MRS.  SIMPSON.  ^QQ 

Simpson  prays  that  the  prayers  of  our  friends  for  us  may  be 
returned  into  their  own  bosoms  an  hundred-fold."  "While  la- 
boring with  so  much  cheerfulness  and  earnestness  for  the 
heathen,  her  chief  regret  was  that  the  consent  of  her  mother 
had  not  been  as  full  and  cordial  as  she  could  wish.  Writing 
to  her,  June  8th,  1850,  she  says,  "I  hope,  mother,  you  now 
feel  quite  willing  to  have  me  here.  You  will  please  tell  me 
how  you  think  of  it  since  we  have  come.  It  often  makes  me 
sad  to  think  of  your  unwillingness  to  have  me  come  to  Africa. 
Still,  I  think  my  duty  was  plain.  My  conscience  fully  ap- 
proves my  course.  Oh !  I  think  you  are  a  favored  mother,  to 
have  a  daughter  called  to  the  heathen.  You  would  feel  so  in 
the  case  of  another.  I  am  sure  I  feel  myself  a  privileged 
one,  though  I  am  altogether  unworthy  the  calling."  Again 
she  writes,  "  I  am  not  at  all  disappointed  in  my  anticipations 
of  enjoyment  in  missionary  life.  All  the  trials  and  depriva- 
tions have  dwindled  on  approach  to  them." 

These  extracts  from  the  letters  of  Mrs.  Simpson  possess  the 
deepest  interest,  as  revealing  the  heart  of  an  African  mission- 
ary. We  are  most  happily  furnished  with  an  equally  full  ex- 
hibition of  the  missionary  struggles  and  consecration  of  Mr. 
Simpson.  In  a  letter  to  the  Rev.  A.  Hamilton,  dated  Decem- 
ber 25th,  1850,  he  says,  "We  have  already  been  absent  more 
than  a  year  from  our  native  land.  We  have  been  borne  across 
the  bosom  of  the  great  deep,  far  from  our  Christian  friends  and 
brethren.  We  have  wandered  up  and  down  several  thousand 
miles  along  the  coast  of  Africa,  traveling  sometimes  in  a  large 
vessel,  but  oftener  in  an  open  boat.  We  have  at  length  set- 
tled upon  the  island  of  Corisco,  have  our  houses  built,  and  our 
mission  work  is  fairly  commenced.     To  Grod  is  due  all  the 


KQQ  MR.  AND  MRS.  SUIPSON. 

praise ;  we  trust  we  can  say  this  from  our  hearts.  You  and 
all  our  dear  Christian  friends  of  the  Manor  will  surely  be  glad 
to  hear  that  we  are  all  now  in  good  health.  When  I  first  left 
home  for  Africa,  I  must  confess  it  was  with  some  trembling. 
The  sultry,  feverish  climate — the  privations  and  annoyances 
we  were  to  be  subject  to  in  a  heathen  land — were  often  then 
present  to  my  mind.  But  few  could  say  to  us  heartily  and 
cheerfully,  '  Gro  !'  We  asked  the  counsel  of  the  good  and  the 
wise,  but  the  best  advice  they  could  give  us  was  to  pray. 
When  conversing  with  Dr.  Miller  on  the  subject  of  going  to 
Africa,  he  said,  after  a  long  pause,  '  It  is  a  question  hard  to 
decide ;'  and  then,  in  a  most  fervent  manner,  addressed  the 
throne  of  grace,  submitting  the  whole  decision  of  it  to  the  Head 
of  the  Church.  I  shall  never  forget  that  solemn  hour.  Many 
dear  friends,  not  for  want  of  love  to  the  cause  of  Christ,  nor 
from  any  want  of  feeling  for  the  heathen,  but  from  disinterest- 
ed regard  for  our  own  welfare,  would  hardly  allow  us  to  go. 
Still  we  feel  assured  that,  though  reluctant  to  let  us  depart, 
they  have  not  been  slow  to  follow  us  with  their  prayers.  But 
all  these,  together  with  the  tendencies  of  a  heart  not  free  from 
earth,  were  hard  to  overcome.  Besides  the  suggestions  of 
friendship,  we  had  many  fears  and  surmises  of  our  own.  We 
trust,  however,  that  we  counted  the  cost,  and  that  we  laid  our 
plans  not  in  any  human  wisdom,  but  in  faith  in  the  word  of 
Christ ;  and  from  him  has,  thus  far,  come  success.  Where  are 
now  our  fears  ?  A  year  has  rolled  round ;  Grod  has  provided 
for  us  every  day.  Where  are  the  great  lions  that  were  in  the 
way  ?  We  have  seen  them  afar  off,  and  trembled  ;  but  when 
we  approached  and  looked  them  in  the  face,  we  found  them 
chained  !    Here  we  are  in  this  land  of  darkness,  preaching  the 


MR.  AND  MRS.  SIMPSON.  ^Q^ 

word  of  Grod.  Here  we  are  in  this  land,  formerly  described  to 
us  as  a  land  of  drought,  and  burning  suns,  and  sickly  moons, 
and  where  death  lives  in  the  very  atmosphere — in  short,  the 
'  white  man's  grave' — and  yet  we  are  alive  and  well  this  day. 
We  have  had,  indeed,  African  fever  ;  but  it  has  been  for  the 
most  part  light,  and  now  seems  to  be  passing  away  from  us. 
We  know  that  you  and  our  Christian  friends  of  the  Manor 
have  often  borne  us  on  your  hearts  at  the  throne  of  grace,  both 
in  the  sanctuary  and  in  the  closet.  We  wish  to  tell  you  and 
them  that  we  feel  deeply  grateful  to  you  all,  and  do  not  cease 
daily  to  remember  your  lovely  Zion.  G-od  has  doubtless  heard 
your  prayers  on  our  behalf,  and  blessed  us  in  our  ways. 

"  One  of  our  little  band  has  been  removed  from  us,  and  tak- 
en to  her  reward  on  high ;  but,  even  in  this  instance,  justice 
was  mingled  with  mercy,  and  the  goodness  of  Grod  was  mani- 
fest. We  now  request  you  and  all  our  friends  in  the  Manor  to 
unite  with  us  in  sincere  thanksgiving  to  Grod  for  his  past  favor 
toward  us,  and  for  the  prospect  of  future  usefulness  which  he 
now  opens  for  us  in  this  dark  land.  Dear  brethren  in  Christ, 
allow  me  to  say  to  you  again,  as  I  did  when  with  you.  This  is 
not  my  work  ;  this  is  not  my  cause.  It  is  our  common  work. 
It  is  the  work  which  the  great  Head  of  the  Church,  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  hath  put  into  our  hands,  and  commanded  us  to 
do  if  we  love  him.  Let  us,  therefore,  pray  and  labor,  weep 
and  rejoice  together,  until  it  be  accomplished." 

In  Mrs.  Simpson's  last  letter  to  her  mother  she  wrote  as  fol- 
lows :  "I  trust,  dear  mother,  you  do  not  feel  unduly  anxious 
about  us.  Earth  is  pleasant,  oh  !  how  pleasant ;  still  we  can 
not  enjoy  the  happiness  here  which  in  heavenly  mansions 
awaits  those  who  love  Grod.     We  know  this,  although  we  can 


502  ^^^-  -^^^  MRS.  SIMPSON. 

not  understand  it.  Then  why  are  we  loth  to  make  so  blessed 
an  exchange,  or  to  have  our  beloved  ones  make  it  ?  You  must 
not  be  anxious  for  my  safety.  We  have  your  Grod  in  Africa. 
His  care  is  as  constant  here  as  in  Pennsylvania.  The  death  of 
Christ  is  as  meritorious  here,  and  the  Holy  Spirit's  influence 
as  free  and  as  powerful.  The  Christian's  hope  as  firm,  and  I 
can  humbly  say,  'I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth.'  When 
in  a  fever  lately,  I  felt  it  an  unspeakable  comfort  to  know  that 
I  had  not  my  peace  now  to  make  with  God.  I  hope  we  shall 
all  meet  as  a  family  in  heaven.  Pray  for  us,  but  don't  be 
anxious." 

But  that  great  Being  whose  "ways  are  in  the  seas,  and  his 
paths  in  the  great  waters,  and  whose  footsteps  are  not  known," 
the  God  of  missions,  had  assigned  to  these  promising  mission- 
aries a  short  work.  In  a  letter,  dated  June  12th,  1851,  Mr. 
Mackey  writes  : 

"Very  painful  intelligence  has  just  reached  me,  which  I 
hasten  to  communicate  to  you.  Our  dear  friends,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Simpson,  have  been  suddenly  called  away  from  their  labors 
here  into  their  eternal  rest.  On  the  25th  of  March,  they  went 
on  board  an  English  vessel  to  take  a  short  excursion  to  Fer- 
nando Po.  They  expected  to  be  absent  about  two  weeks.  I 
heard  no  certain  intelligence  from  them  or  about  the  vessel  for 
two  months  and  a  half.  I  felt  great  anxiety  for  their  safety, 
especially  as  rumors  had  reached  me,  by  the  natives  from  the 
coast  above,  of  the  loss  of  the  vessel.  Captain  Newlands,  a  kind 
English  trader  residing  on  the  island,  dispatched  a  cutter  up 
the  coast  to  learn  the  truth  about  the  vessel.  The  cutter  has 
not  yet  returned,  but  a  letter  from  another  English  captain, 
trading  on  the  coast  above,  which  has  just  reached  me,  con- 


MR.  AND  MRS.  SIMPSON.  KQQ 

firms  my  worst  fears.  The  vessel  on  which  they  were,  while 
proceeding  up  the  coast  to  Fernando  Po,  took  on  a  heavy  deck- 
load  of  ebony — a  tornado  came  up,  and  the  vessel  was  cap- 
sized. All  on  board  perished  but  one  Krooman,  who  escaped 
on  an  oar,  and,  after  three  days'  swimming,  reached  Fernando 
Po.  These  are  all  the  particulars  that  have  reached  me.  This 
is  a  very  mysterious  dispensation  of  Divine  Providence  ;  in  the 
very  infancy  of  our  mission  here,  those  who  promised  so  much 
usefulness  have  been  suddenly  called  away.  I  have  scarcely 
time  to  add  a  single  sentence  to  this  very  brief  account." 

In  another  letter,  dated  Evanjasimba,  Corisco,  September 
22d,  1851,  he  writes :  "  When  I  wrote  last  to  you,  I  think  I 
had  not  then  learned  the  exact  date  of  the  accident  by  which 
our  dear  friends  were  so  suddenly  taken  away.  The  vessel  on 
which  they  embarked  for  Fernando  Po  was  called  the  "En- 
glishman," Captain  Harris.  Mr.  and  Mrs,  Simpson  went  on 
board  on  Tuesday  evening,  March  25th ;  the  vessel  sailed  the 
next  morning.  It  touched  at  Batonga,  one  hundred  miles 
above  Corisco,  and  took  on  a  deck-load  of  ebony,  and  then 
sailed  direct  for  Fernando  Po.  On  Saturday  evening,  April  5th, 
about  six  P.M.,  a  heavy  tornado  came  up  ;  the  vessel,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  deck-load  of  ebony,  was  top-heavy,  and  when  the 
storm  struck  it,  it  immediately  capsized.  It  appears,  from  the 
account  which  the  Krooman  gives,  that  the  captain  and  his 
wife,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Simpson,  were  all  in  the  cabin  below 
when  the  storm  came  on.  The  captain  rushed  up,  Mr.  Simp- 
son following  him.  Mrs.  Harris  and  Mrs.  Simpson  were  soon 
on  the  deck  also,  but  the  vessel  was  beginning  to  sink.  The 
last  that  was  seen  of  our  dear  friends,  when  the  deck  was  cov- 
ered with  water,  Mr.  Simpson  was  kneeling  in  prayer,  and  Mrs, 


504  ^^^-  -^^^   MRS.  SIMPSON. 

Simpson  by  him .  The  probability  is,  they  were  ahnost  imme- 
diately drowned." 

The  "  bamboo  cottage,"  occupied  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Simpson, 
is  now  under  the  charge  of  a  trustworthy  native,  waiting  the 
arrival  of  another  missionary  family.  At  Evangasimba  a  small 
church  has  been  completed.  A  bell  is  hung  in  a  tree  near  the 
church,  which  is  rung  every  Saturday  evening,  to  remind  the 
people  of  the  approach  of  the  Sabbath  day.  At  the  last  ac- 
counts, the  service  was  well  attended  in  the  church  on  the 
Sabbath,  and  forty-eight  boys  were  in  regular  attendance  on 
the  school. 

Africa  has  peculiar  claims  upon  us.  Other  lands  of  Pagan 
darkness  send  up  to  us  a  plea  for  mercy ;  she  sends  up  that 
plea,  backed  by  a  demand  for  justice.  She  bares  her  wounded 
and  still  bleeding  bosom  to  the  gaze  of  Christendom,  and  cries 
for  justice.  Here  are  a  hundred  millions  of  immortal  beings 
shrouded  in  heathen  darkness,  who  for  three  hundred  years 
have  been  a  miserable  prey  to  the  civilized  world,  during  which 
time  millions  of  her  helpless  children  have  been  dragged  into 
slavery.     And  shall  she  be  denied  both  mercy  and  justice  ? 


THE    END. 


IN  THEOLOGICAL   LITERATURE 

PUBLISHED    BY 

HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  NEW  YORK. 


Harper's  Illuminated  and  Pictorial  Bible, 

Including  the  Apocrypha.  With  Marginal  Readings,  References,  and 
Chronological  Dates.  To  which  are  added,  a  Chronological  Index,  an 
Index  of  the  Subjects  contained  in  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  Ta- 
bles of  Weights,  Coins,  Measures,  a  List  of  Proper  Names,  a  Concord- 
ance, &c.  Superbly  Embellished  by  1600  Historical  Engravings  by  J. 
A.  Adams,  more  than  1400  of  which  are  from  original  Designs  by  J.  G. 
Chapman.  Also,  a  Series  of  rich  Illuminations  in  Colors,  comprising 
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and  Beveled  Sides,  $25  00. 

The  Englishman's  Greek  Concordance  of  the  New 

Testament :  being  an  Attempt  at  a  verbal  Connection  between  the 
Greek  and  the  English  Texts  :  including  a  Concordance  to  the  Propei 
Names,  with  Indexes,  Greek-English  and  English-Greek.  8vo,  Mus- 
lin, $4  50  ;  Sheep  extra,  $5  00. 

Chalmers's  Daily  Scripture  Readings. 

Edited  by  Rev.  W.  Hanna,  LL.D.  Forming  Vols.  I.,  II.,  and  III.  of 
"  Chalmers's  Posthumous  Works."  3  vols.  12mo,  Muslin,  $3  00  ; 
Sheep  extra,  $3  75. 

Chalmers's  Sabbath  Scripture  Readings. 

Edited  by  Rev.  W.  Hanna,  LL.D.  Forming  Vols.  IV.  and  V.  of 
Chalmers's  Posthumous  Works."  2  vols.  12mo,  Muslin,  $2  00 ; 
heep  extra,  $2  50. 

Chalmers's  Sermons. 

Edited  by  Rev.  William  Hanna,  LL.D.  J'orming  Vol.  VI.  of  "Chal- 
mers's Posthumous  Works."   12mo,  Muslin,  $1  00  ;  Sheep  extra,  $1  21-, 

Chalmers's  Treatise  on  the  Power,  Wisdom,  and 

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Baird's  View  of  Religion  in  America ; 

Including  a  View  of  the  various  Religious  Denominations  in  the  United 
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Hall's  complete  Works : 

With  a  brief  Memoir  of  his  Life,  by  Dr.  Gregory,  and  Observations  on 
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ory, LL.D.,  and  Rev.  J.  Belcher.  Portrait.  4  vols.  8vo,  Sheep  ex- 
tra, $6  00 


2  Works  in  Theological  Literature. 

Upham's  Life  of  Faith : 

Embracing  some  of  the  Scriptural  Principles  or  Doctrines  of  Faith, 
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ture, and  the  Relation  of  Faith  lo  the  Divine  Guidance.  12mo,  Mus- 
lin, $1  00. 

Upham's  Life  of  Madame  Adorna ; 

Including  some  leading  Facts  and  Traits  in  her  Religious  Experience. 
Together  with  Explanations  and  Remarks,  tending  to  illustrate  the 
Doctrine  of  Holiness.  12mo,  Muslin,  50  cents;  Muslin,  gilt  edges,  60 
cents. 

Upham's  Life  of  Madame  Guyon. 

The  Life  and  Religious  Opinions  and  Experience  of  Madame  Guyon  . 
together  with  some  Account  of  the  Personal  History  and  Religious 
Opinions  of  Archbishop  Fenelon.     2  vols.  12mo,  Muslin,  $2  00. 

Upham's  Principles  of  the  Interior  or  Hidden  Life. 

Designed  particularly  for  the  Consideration  of  those  who  are  seeking 
Assurance  of  Faith  and  Perfect  Love.     12mo,  Muslin,  $1  00. 

Sacred  Meditations. 

By  P.  L.  U.     48mo,  Muslin,  gilt  edges,  31^  cents. 

Thankfulness. 

A  Narrative.  Comprising  Passages  from  the  Diary  of  the  Rev.  Allan 
Temple.  By  the  Rev.  C.  B.  Tayler.  12mo,  Paper,  37^  cents  ;  Mus- 
lin, 50  cents. 

Book  of  Common  Prayer : 

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Standard  4to.  A  splendid  volume,  suitable  for  the  desk.  Turkey 
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Standard  8vo.  From  the  same  stereotype  plates  as  the  preceding. 
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Royal  8vo.  Hewet's  Illustrated  Edition.  Turkey  Morocco,  gilt 
edges,  $6  00. 

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Summerfield's  Sermons, 

And  Sketches  of  Sermons.  With  an  Introduction  by  Rev.  T.  E.  Bond, 
M.D.     8vo,  Muslin,  f  1  75. 

Spencer's  Greek  New  Testament. 

With  English  Notes,  critical,  philological,  and  exegetical  Indexes,  &c. 
12mo,  Muslin,  fl  25;  Sheep  extra,  $1  40. 


Works  in  Theological  Literature.  3 

Barnes's  Notes  on  the  Gospels, 

Explanatory  and  Practical.  Designed  for  Bible  Classes  and  Sunday 
Schools.  With  an  Index,  a  Chronological  Table,  Tables  of  Weights, 
&c.     Map.     2  vols.  12mo,  Muslin,  $1  50. 

Barnes's  Notes  on  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles, 

Explanatory  and  Practical.  Designed  for  Bible  Classes  and  Sunday 
Schools.     With  a  Map.     12mo,  Muslin,  75  cents. 

Barnes's  Notes  on  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans, 

Explanatory  and  Practical.  Designed  for  Bible  Classes  and  Sunday 
Schools.     12mo,  Muslin,  75  cents. 

Barnes's  Notes  on  the  First  Epistle  to  the  Corinthi- 
ans, Explanatory  and  Practical.  Designed  for  Bible  Classes  and  Sun 
day  Schools.     12mo,  Muslin,  75  cents. 

Barnes's  Notes  on  the  Second  Epistle  to  the  Co- 
rinthians, and  the  Epistle  to  the  Galatians,  Explanatory  and  Practical. 
Designed  for  Bible  Classes  and  Sunday  Schools.  12mo,  Muslin,  75 
cents. 

Barnes's  Notes  on  the  Epistles  to  the  Ephesians, 

the  Philippians,  and  the  Colossians,  Explanatory  and  Practical.  De- 
signed for  Bible  Classes  and  Sunday  Schools.     12mo,  Muslin,  75  cents. 

Barnes's  Notes  on  the  Epistles  to  the  Thessalonians, 

Timothy,  Titus,  and  Philemon,  Explanatory  and  Practical.  Designed 
for  Bible  Classes  and  Sunday  Schools.     12mo,  Muslin,  75  cents 

Barnes's  Notes  on  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrew^s, 

Explanatory  and  Practical.  Designed  for  Bible  Classes  and  Sunday 
Schools.     12mo,  Muslin,  75  cents. 

Barnes's  Notes  on  the  General  Epistles  of  James, 

Peter,  John,  and  Jude,  Explanatory  and  Practical.  Designed  for  Bible 
Classes  and  Sunday  Schools.     12mo,  Muslin,  75  cents. 

Barnes's  Questions  on  Matthew. 

For  Bible  Classes  and  Sunday  Schools.     18nio,  Muslin,  15  cents. 

Barnes's  Questions  on  Mark  and  Luke. 

For  Bible  Classes  and  Sunday  Schools.     18mo,  Muslin,  15  cents. 

Barnes's  Questions  on  John. 

For  Bible  Classes  and  Sunday  Schools.     18mo,  Muslin,  15  cents. 

Barnes's  Questions  on  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles. 

For  Bible  Classes  and  Sunday  Schools.     18mo,  Muslin,  15  cents 

Barnes's  Questions  on  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans 

For  Bible  Classes  and  Sunday  Schools.     18mo,  Muslin,  15  cents 

Barnes's  Questions  on  the  First  Epistle  to  the  Co- 
rinthians. Designed  for  Bible  CJasses  and  Sunday  Schools.  iSmo, 
Muslin,  15  cents. 

Barnes's  Questions  on  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews. 

For  Bible  Classes  and  Sunday  Schools.     18mo,  Muslin,  15  cents. 


4  Works  in  Theological  Literature. 

Neal's  History  of  the  Puritans ; 

Or,  Protestant  Non-conformists  ;  from  the  Reformation  in  1517  to  the 
Revolution  in  1688 ;  comprising  an  Account  of  their  Principles,  their 
Attempts  for  a  further  Reformation  in  the  Church,  their  Sufferings,  and 
the  Lives  and  Characters  of  their  most  considerable  Divines.  Re- 
printed from  the  Text  of  Dr.  Toulmin's  Edition  :  with  his  Life  of  the 
Author,  and  Account  of  his  Writings.  Revised,  corrected,  and  en- 
larged, with  additional  Notes,  by  John  0.  Choules,  D.D.  Embel- 
lished with  Nine  Portraits  on  Steel.  2  vols.  8vo,  Muslin,  $3  50 ; 
Sheep  extra,  $4  00. 

Abercrombie's  Miscellaneous  Essays. 

Consisting  of  the  Harmony  of  Christian  Faith  and  Christian  Charac- 
ter ;  the  Culture  and  Discipline  of  the  Mind  ;  Think  on  these  Things  ; 
the  Contest  and  the  Armor ;  the  Messiah  as  an  Example.  18mo,  Mus- 
lin, 37^  cents. 

Jarvis's  Chronological  Introduction  to  Church  His- 
tory :  being  a  new  Inquiry  into  the  true  Dates  of  the  Birth  and  Death 
of  our  Lord  and  Savior  Jesus  Christ ;  and  containing  an  original  Har- 
mony of  the  four  Gospels,  now  first  arranged  in  the  Order  of  Time. 
8vo,  Muslin,  $3  00. 

Butler's  Analogy  of  Religion, 

Natural  and  Revealed,  to  the  Constitution  and  Course  of  Nature. 
To  which  are  added  two  brief  Dissertations :  of  Personal  Identity — of 
the  Nature  of  Virtue.  With  a  Preface  by  Bishop  Halifax.  18mo, 
half  Bound,  37^  cents. 

Hawks's    History    of    the    Protestant    Episcopal 

Church  in  Virginia :  being  a  Narrative  of  Events  connected  with  its 
Rise  and  Progress.  With  the  Journals  of  the  Conventions  in  Virginia. 
8vo,  Muslin,  $1  75. 

Jay's  Morning  and  Evening  Exercises  for  the  Closet, 

for  every  Day  in  the  Year.  With  Portrait.  Svo,  Muslin,  $1  25  ;  half 
Morocco,  $1  50. 

Jay's  complete  Works . 

Comprising  his  Sermons ;  Family  Discourses ;  Morning  and  Evening 
Exercises  for  every  Day  in  the  Year;  Family  Prayers;  Lectures; 
Lives  of  Cornelius  Winter  and  John  Clarli,  &,c.  Author's  enlarged 
Edition,  revised.     3  vols.  8vo,  Mushn,  $5  00  ;  Sheep  extra,  $5  50. 

Saurin's  Sermons. 

Translated  by  the  Rev.  Robert  Robinson,  the  Rev.  Henry  Hunter, 
and  the  Rev.  Joseph  Sutcliffe.  A  new  Edition,  with  additional  Ser- 
mons. Revised  and  corrected  by  the  Rev.  Samqel  Burder.  With  a 
Preface,  by  the  Rev.  J.  P.  K.  Henshaw.  With  a  Portrait.  2  vols. 
Svo,  Sheep  extra,  $3  75. 

Lewis's  Platonic  Theology. 

Plato  against  the  Atheists ;  or,  the  Tenth  Book  of  the  Dialogue  on 
Laws,  with  critical  Notes  and  extended  Dissertations  on  some  of  the 
main  Points  of  the  Platonic  Philosophy  and  Theology,  especially  as 
compared  with  the  Holy  Scriptures.     12mo,  Muslin,  fl  50. 

Protestant  Jesuitism. 

Bv  a  Protestant.     12mo,  Muslin,  90  cents. 


Works  in  Theological  Literature.  5 

Noel's  Essay  on  the  Union  of  Church  and  State. 

12mo,  Muslin,  $1  25. 

Gieseler's  Compendium  of  Ecclesiastical  History. 

From  the  Fourth  Edinburgh  Edition,  revised  and  amended.  Translat- 
ed from  the  German  by  Samuel  Davidson,  LL.D.     8vo. 

The  Sacred  Philosophy  of  the  Seasons. 

Illustrating  the  Perfections  of  God  in  the  Phenomena  of  the  Year. 
By  Rev.  Henry  Duncan,  D.D.  With  important  Additions,  and  some 
Modifications  to  adapt  it  to  American  Readers,  by  F.  W.  P.  Green- 
wood, D.D.     4  vols.  12mo,  Muslin,  $3  00. 

Theology  Explained  and  Defended, 

In  a  Series  of  Sermons.  By  f.  Dwight,  LL.D.  With  a  Memoir  of  the 
Life  of  the  Au-thor.  With  a  Portrait.  4  vols.  8vo,  Muslin,  $6  GO  ; 
Sheep  extra,  i6  50. 

Wadding-ton's  History  of  the  Church, 

From  the  earliest  Ages  to  the  Reformation.     8vo,  Muslin,  f  1  75. 

Brown's  Dictionary  of  the  Holy  Bible. 

Containing  an  Historical  Account  of  the  Persons  ;  a  Geographical  and 
Historical  Account  of  the  Places ;  a  Literal,  Critical,  and  Systemat- 
ical Description  of  other  Objects,  whether  Natural,  Artificial,  Civil,  Re- 
ligious, or  Military  ;  and  an  Explanation  of  the  appellative  Terms  men- 
tioned in  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  :  the  whole  comprising  what- 
ever important  is  known  concerning  the  Antiquities  of  the  Hebrew  Na- 
tion and  Church  of  God  ;  forming  a  Sacred  Commentary,  a  Body  of 
Scripture  History,  Chronology,  and  Divinity;  and  serving  in  a  great 
measure  as  a  Concordance  to  the  Holy  Bible.  With  the  Author's  last 
Additions  and  Corrections,  and  further  enlarged  and  corrected  by  his 
Sons.  Also,  a  Life  of  the  Author,  and  an  Essay  on  the  Evidence  of 
Christianity.     8vo,  Sheep  extra,  81  75. 

Brown's  Pocket  Concordance  to  the  Holy  Bible. 

32mo,  Roan,  37^  cents. 

Hunter's  Sacred  Biography ; 

Or,  the  History  of  the  Patriarchs.  To  which  is  added  the  History  of 
Deborah,  Ruih,  and  Hannah,  and  also  the  History  of  Jesus  Christ. 
Svo,  Muslin,  $1  75. 

Milman's  History  of  Christianity, 

From  the  Birth  of  Christ  to  the  Abolition  of  Paganism  in  the  Roman 
Empire.  With  Notes,  &c.,  by  James  Murdock,  D.D.  8vo,  Muslin, 
$1  90. 

Milman's  History  of  the  Jews, 

From  the  earliest  Period  to  the  present  Time.  With  Maps  and  En- 
gravings.    3  vols.  18mo,  Muslin,  $1  20. 

The  Old  and  New  Testaments  Connected, 

In  the  History  of  the  Jews  and  Neighboring  Nations,  from  the  Declen 
sion  of  the  Kingdoms  of  Israel  and  Judah  to  the  Time  of  Christ.  By 
Humphrey  Prideaux,  D.D.  To  which  is  prefixed,  the  Life  of  the  Au- 
thor, containing  some  Letters  which  he  wrote  in  Defense  and  Illustra- 
tion of  certain  Parts  of  his  Connections.  Illustrated  with  Maps  and 
Plates.     3  vols.  Svo,  Sheep  extra,  $3  75. 


6  Works  in  Theological  Literature. 

Lord's  Exposition  of  the  Apocalypse. 

8vo,  Muslin,  $2  00. 

Turner's  Sacred  History  of  the  World, 

Attempted  to  be  Philosophically  considered,  in  a  Series  of  Letters  to  a 
Son.     3  vols.  18mo,  Muslin,  $1  35. 

Vol.  I.  considers  the  Creation  and  System  of  the  Earth,  and  of  its 
Vegetable  and  Animal  Races,  and  Material  Laws,  and  Formation  of 
Mankind. 

Vol.  II.,  the  Divine  Economy  in  its  special  Relation  to  Mankind,  and 
in  the  Deluge,  and  the  History  of  Human  Affairs. 

Vol.  III.,  the  Provisions  for  the  Perpetuation  and  Support  of  the  Hu- 
man Race,  the  Divine  System  of  our  Social  Combinations,  and  the 
Supernatural  History  of  the  World. 

The  Incarnation ; 

Or,  Pictures  of  the  Virgin  and  her  Son.  By  Rev.  C.  Beecher.  With 
an  introductory  Essay,  by  Mrs.  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe.  18mo, 
Muslin,  50  cents. 

Paley's  Evidences  of  Christianity. 

A  View  of  the  Evidences  of  Christianity.     ISmo,  half  Roan,  Zl\  cents. 

Paley's  Natural  Theology. 

With  illustrative  Notes,  ice,  by  Lord  Brougham  and  Sir  C.  Bell,  and 
preliminary  Observations  and  Notes,  by  Alonzo  Potter,  D.D.  With 
Engravings.     2  vols.  18mo,  Muslin,  90  cents. 

Paley's  Natural  Theology. 

A  new  Edition,  from  large  Type,  edited  by  D.  E.  Bartlett.  Copious- 
ly Illustrated,  and  a  Life  and  Portrait  of  the  Author.  2  vols.  ISmu, 
Muslin,  HI  50. 

Neander's  Life  of  Jesus  Christ : 

Ib  its  Historical  Connection  and  its  Historical  Development.  Trans- 
lated from  the  Fourth  German  Edition,  by  Professors  M'Clintock  and 
Blumenthal.     8vo,  Muslin,  $2  00  ;  Sheep  extra,  $2  25. 

The  Land  of  Israel, 

According  to  the  Covenant  with  Abraham,  with  Isaac,  and  with  Jacob. 
By  A.  Keith,  D.D.     With  Plates.    12nio,  Muslin,  $1  25. 

Evidence  of  Prophecy. 

Evidence  of  the  Truth  of  the  Christian  Religion,  derived  from  the  lit- 
eial  Fullillment  of  Prophecy  ;  particularly  as  illustrated  by  the  History 
of  the  Jews,  and  by  the  Discoveriesof  recent  Travelers.  By  A.  Keith, 
D.D.     12m(),  Muslin,  60  cents. 

Demonstration  of  Christianity. 

Demonstration  of  the  Truth  of  the  Christian  Religion.  By  A.  Keith, 
D.D.     With  Engravings.     12mo,  Muslin,  $1  37^. 

The  Mysteries  Opened ; 

Or,  Scriptural  Views  of  Preaching  and  the  Sacraments,  as  distinguish- 
ed from  certain  Theories  concerning  Baptismal  Regeneration  and  the 
Real  Presence.     By  Rev.  J.  S.  Stone.     12mo,  Muslin,  $1  00. 

The  True  Believer ; 

His  Character,  Duty,  and  Privileges,  elucidated  in  a  Series  of  Dis 
courses.     By  Rev.  Asa  Mahan.     18rao,  Muslin,  50  CDts. 


Works  in  Theological  Literature.  7 

The  Novitiate ; 

Or,  a  Year  among  the  English  Jesuits  :  a  Personal  Narrative.  With 
an  Essay  on  the  Constitutions,  the  Confessional  Morality,  and  History 
of  the  Jesuits.     By  Andrew  Steinmetz.     ISnno,  Muslin,  50  cents. 

Duer's  Speech, 

Delivered  in  the  Convention  of  the  P.  E.  Church  of  the  Diocese  of  New 
York,  on  Friday,  the  29th  of  Sept.,  1843,  in  support  of  the  Resolutions 
offered  by  Judge  Oakley.     8vo,  Paper,  12i  cents. 

Biblical  Legends  of  the  Mussulmans. 

The  Bible,  the  Koran,  and  the  Talmud.  Compiled  from  Arabic 
Sources,  and  compared  with  Jewish  Traditions.  By  Dr.  G.  Weil 
12mo,  Muslin,  50  cents. 

Scripture  Illustrated, 

By  interesting  Facts,  Incidents,  and  Anecdotes.  By  Rev.  C.  Field. 
With  Introduction,  by  Rev.  J.  Todd,  D.D.  I8mo,  Muslin,  50  cents ; 
Roan,  60  cents. 

Mosheim's  Ecclesiastical  History, 

Ancient  and  Modern;  in  which  the  Rise,  Progress,  and  Variation  of 
Church  Power  are  considered  in  their  Connection  with  the  State  of 
Learning  and  Philosophy,  and  the  Political  History  of  Europe  during 
that  Period.  Translated,  with  Notes,  &,c.,  by  A.  Maclaine,  D.D.  A 
new  Edition,  continued  to  1826,  by  Charles  Coote,  LL.D.  2  vols. 
8vo,  Sheep  extra,  $3  50. 

Turner's  Essay  on  our  Lord's  Discourse  at  Caper- 
naum, recorded  in  the  Sixth  Chapter  of  St.  John.  12mo,  Mushn,  75 
cents. 

The  Heart  Delineated  in  its  State  by  Nature,  and 

as  renewed  by  Grace.  By  the  Rev.  Hugh  Smith,  D.D.  18mo,  Muslin, 
45  cents. 

Smedley's  History  of  the  Reformation  in  France. 

Portrait.     3  vols.  18mo,  Muslin,  $1  40. 

Gleig's  History  of  the  Bible. 

With  a  Map.     2  vols.  18mo,  Muslin,  80  cents. 

Zion's  Songster ; 

Or,  a  Collection  of  Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs,  usually  Sung  at  Camp- 
meetings,  and  also  at  Revivals  of  Religion.  Compiled  by  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Mason.     32mo,  Sheep,  25  cents. 

D'Aubign6's  Discourses  and  Essays. 

Translated  from  the  French,  by  Charles  W.  Baird.  With  an  Intro- 
duction, by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Baird.     12mo,  Muslin,  75  cents. 

Sunday  Evenings. 

Comprising  Scripture  Stories.  With  Engravings.  3  vols.  l8mo,  Mus- 
lin, 93|  cents. 

Beauties  of  the  Bible : 

Selected  from  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  with  various  Remarks 
and  brief  Dissertations.  Designed  for  the  Use  of  Schools  and  the  Im- 
provement of  Youth.     By  Ezra  Sampson.     18mo,  Muslin,  50  cents. 


8  Works  in  Theological  Literature. 

Luther  and  the  Lutheran  Reformation. 

By  Rev.  John  Scott.     With  Portraits.     2  vols.  18mo,  Muslin,  $1  00. 

The  Comforter; 

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Parker's  Invitations  to  True  Happiness, 

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